Any one of us can be just two steps away from homelessness: two changes in circumstance can destabilise what appeared to be a stable and secure life — family breakdown, job loss, bereavement, a mental‑health crisis.
Again
Rented rooms
borrowed sofas
from friends, acquaintances
and kin
house sitting vacations
finding room at the inn
I didn’t think I’d find a home
I never thought the time would come
I’d ever cease to roam
Then
through the storms
the wind and rain
the homeless nights
the don’t know what
the don’t know when
that’s when I knew—
when I saw you
then
my life began
again
I wandered far
and wide
seeking some place
when all I wanted
was a happy home
some space
beneath a roof
again
That night
I went to the pub
again
for a few beers
you ask me out
“Why not?” I say, okay
“Alright”
On the bar stool
you
handsome
fool
we raise our glasses—
chink
And I did think
I’m glad I came out tonight
for a drink
—Lesley Scoble, August 2026
A personal story, ending in the night I met the love of my life in the pub.
Audio — Again — folk song 🎶
Acknowledgements
My poem and song were written to David’s W3 Poetry Prompt #224. Please read the full prompt guidelines below.
David’s prompt: The first time, again
Sometimes life changes enough that something familiar becomes new again.
Think of something you have experienced in the past, are experiencing now, or imagine experiencing in the future: doing an ordinary thing you have done many times before, but under changed circumstances that make it feel like a first time.
It might be the first meal in a new home, the first holiday after someone is gone, the first date after a long relationship, the first day back at work, the first time returning somewhere after many years, the first night alone, the first journey home—or something entirely different.
Write a poem about experiencing something familiar as though it were happening for the first time again.
Your poem must include the word “again.”
My undying thanks to the maestro poet, David Bogomolny, this week’s brilliant Poet‑of‑the‑Week and gracious host for W3 Prompt #224. Thank you ‘again’ for your constant enthusiasm, poetic encouragement, and inspiration.
And my heartfelt thanks to you, the reader, for stopping by. I truly appreciate you being here.
LesleyScoble.com 
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