Sat In a Corner
I’m huddled up in my usual spot outside
Cold as a dog’s nose
On the old park bench, eating air pies
Drinking crushed sun, watching for a sign
Counting days, waiting for rain
There are signs everywhere, the crowd
In every sense a herd
But not behaving like one
I have seen them before and I see them now
People who look like trees
Walking tall, laughing out loud
Talking, choking on thought, walking
There is nothing here but hunger
Nothing here but thunder
In my stomach, lightning in my mind
I am no Jack Horner and there is no Christmas pie
But I see the Christmas lights
I see flickers in the dark night. There’s nothing in this
They have nothing but darkness of heart
They care naught who pass me by
They can’t be bothered
I am Lazarus, sitting at your gate
Invisible to the naked eye, a figure in the shadows
A picture in the rubble
Action figure, dumpster diver
Between us and them there is a great chasm fixed
I would be grateful for another crumb of bread
Master, what must I do to be saved?
It means a lot to me. It matters that you asked
My plight is simple, and so is the solution
I will work for food, but every sign indicates to me
That there are no vacancies, no jobs
My communication is lost in translation
I came into the world with egg in face
I see a world in intermission
Moving fast forward but also in fast reverse
The rich young ruler left with a long face
With thanks
Original poem by Kenny Gwena appeared in an anthology titled "Hunger"
Inspired by true events and four books "Waiting for the Rain" by Charles Mungoshi, "Man Gone Down" by Michael Thomas, "The Wasteland" by T.S. Eliot, and "The Holy Bible""
Copyright © Kenny Gwena | Year Posted 2017
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