Please Sir

Beautiful downtown Atlanta Sunny, blue, cloudless sky Tall, wide, massive buildings Window glass glistening in the sun Beautiful, well-dressed people Gainfully employed people Taking care of business people Running essential errands Contributing to the community Pursuing positive, purposeful lives. I take in the sights, sounds, smells Sounds of people walking, talking Engines revving and car horns honking Smells of restaurants and fast food vendors Engine exhaust and overheated brakes Feel of the sidewalk Under my expensive dress shoes Heat of the sun on my face and neck Exciting hustle and bustle Of a thriving metropolis. A faint, “Please, sir …” reaches my ears And a homeless man appears Dirty, disheveled, hirsute “Please, sir, could you …” I divert my eyes, quicken my pace Ignoring his petty pleas His weak speech trails off As he disappears in my wake Bothersome soul, good riddance! Why doesn’t the city do something? Days later the encounter troubled me I was so proud of the way I handled myself How easy it is to dismiss a soul in need Months later the encounter tormented me Instead of the clever human I thought I was I had become unfeeling, unkind, uncaring Years later the encounter still haunts me Never will it ever happen again Never … ever …