Written In Beige

Written In Beige Against the bleak bank wall he leans as the sidewalk moves sideways across his tangential thoughts. People pass, the dull parade, the money-grubbers and hoarders in their shiny suits that mock his existence. Sad clouds meld into a sullen gray sky…it must be raining somewhere. Clink! Silver coin rattles metal can. He wonders, when did the colours disappear? The pungent aroma from Mickey’s Taco Wagon punishes his senses and his eyes begin to leak. He’s hungry. There was a time when his words were golden, a rainbow of passion. He had a family, people who loved him. A November wind kicks him…no, wait! Security guard motions as another peers from behind motion-sensing cameras. Not wanted. He disappears next to the discoloured taupe wall. The mystery: how did his life story get written in beige? *Note: this is written in honour of a homeless poet named Raimundo Arruda Sobrinho but, in essence, for every homeless person.