Man in the Street

[tomsdisch]

--for E. Brown @ Tibor

An old man babbling in the middle of the street
at ten a.m., babbling unassisted by alcohol
or pain remedies, unzipped, at the last notch
of his belt, aggrieved over some perceived sleight.
He's blocking traffic. Someone honks,
and he takes a swipe with his cane at the windshield
of the van before him, not the honker
but a man almost as old as himself
delivering laundry to a hospital.
Wouldn't it be a kindness just to shoot
the old coot? But his cane has done no harm.
He's stopped his babbling and just stands there now,
unsteadied by his fear, unable
to recall why he should be so angry. Me.