Scraggly hair, dingy clothes
was the first thing I noticed about him
he leaned over me and said
do you mind if I walk with you
it came out of the blue
but in all fairness and truth
I politely said
that’s just fine
it would take no time
and walking with HIM was no crime
maybe because it was daylight
I felt so bold
to walk with a man such as he
and then freeze
as he entertained me
with subtle conversation
I looked into his eyes
and to my surprise
I knew his face
But I couldn’t place
where or who he was
through the kink in his hair
the glaze in his stare
this connection was rare
We walked slowly down the street
Didn’t care what people would think
The question came
what is your name
Alonzo, he said with a hush
It all came back in a rush
this was a little boy, when I was younger, I had a crush
My heart sank
further than normal empathy
I was hit with the reality
the man next to me was crazy
As he stopped to pace
two steps to the left
two steps to the right
two more steps to the left
look up, look down
than back at me
this repeated itself times 3
but his vulnerability I could see
speaking intelligently
about positives and negatives
that life brings
he looked in my eyes
and said nicely
if I asked, would you help me
I almost couldn’t breathe
Here was the little boy
who played little jokes when I was a kid
didn’t matter at all
the cutest light brown and tall
curly black hair, but now would I hear his call
before I could answer
he began to recite
numbers
two steps to the left
two steps to the right
two more steps to the left
look up, look down
than back to me
what should I do
as I watched him with sadness
and I said
I’ll do whatever I can
In me you have a friend
he nodded and gazed
then turned and went on his way
left me standing there
but I didn’t care
For the chance was rare
After that, I saw him occasionally
I would look at him frightfully
hoping I would be ready
if he asked for help
but he never really did
And when I decided
to help him without request
the need beat hard in my chest
just because he was homeless
I couldn’t treat him any less
than any human being
but I never saw him again
what happened and when
found out he used to be a serviceman
got beat up pretty bad
it was all really sad
made me even more mad
I could not find him
I don’t know where he went
Because of this I take his lesson with me
You’d be surprised what you can learn from someone deemed crazy
when I’m down and need a release
I
look to the left
look to the right
look back to the left
look up, look down
than back to me
Leave a Reply