Chance Encounter

Walking the coastline pathways Cup of coffee in the local Café Sitting, observing people as they passed Checking on dress sense today Shoes, where did they purchase them? Spotted a homeless person Shabbily dressed and looking unkempt He appeared increasingly in the landscape Popping up in unusual places, staring at others faces Realised picnic area was his hideout Sleeping bag, plastic bags, all neatly stacked He lay asleep on the grass Voices woke him from his slumber Gave a glance, no words spoken He walked the village streets Locals giving him a wide berth Clothing improving, including shoes on his feet The gossip tree said, elderly people made him welcome Winter set in, he lived in the cold of the picnic areas Spoke of his life when sitting in our comfortable home The conversation always finished with, such a shame One cold winters evening, near Village shop Aware of homeless person sitting nearby Huddled, sheltering from the cold wind on a street corner Decided to approach him, enough of wondering Checked on what money I could offer him When approaching, he stood as if frightened Standing close enough to touch each other The weariness on his face, in plain sight Eyes met in silence, trying to understand what it was I wanted Asked quite bluntly what and why No answers forthcoming just a shake of his head His eyes showed such torment, emotions surfacing Never or ever again, such pain behind a gaze Reached to place money in a tattered trouser pocket A shake of his hand, done willingly His grip was quite strong, as we exchanged this greeting For an instant, a wry smile crossed his face Realised that he was a young man His face showed his daily survival He spoke a thank you as goodbye was spoken Walked away with his eyes following The memories of meeting this homeless soul Went on and on and even visited my dreams Not seen since this meeting Moved on, looking for somewhere else safe to stay Positive thoughts of what he was doing My imagination, what was life dealing him