Riverside Poverty

Poverty persists around the world. Many families in urban areas live in inadequate housing due to poverty, high prices, and the inability to afford rent or ownership. As depicted in Amparo Asuncion's poem "Sad Little Houses," some people are forced to build makeshift shelters in crowded, polluted areas like riverbanks, even though it's dangerous and unhealthy. These individuals, often disregarded by authorities as "squatters," often have no jobs and resort to informal means for survival. The poem describes the homes' poor condition, with holes in roofs and cracks in walls, reflecting the difficulty of building proper shelters with limited resources. People use recycled materials to construct these dwellings, which are often located in polluted environments like the "dark muddy river" mentioned in the poem. Living in such cramped and unsanitary conditions poses significant health risks. The poem's final lines, "smothered with dust and then forgotten, forgotten by everyone," underscore the feeling of neglect and isolation often experienced by those living in poverty. This highlights the need for effective government programs and support systems to address the root causes of poverty and improve the lives of those struggling to survive.