life and a 3-legged dog by anelephantcant
Click here to hear the poet read his words:
life and a 3-legged dog
I
can tell
from his skin
grey and tired
his hair
long unwashed
his clothes
worn and grimy
that he has
no home
he walks
the quayside
probably seeking
a place to sleep
shelter
from the rain
wind driven
from the brown
turbulent
Mediterranean
his companion
clearly devoted
has
no rear right
leg
I
approach him
offer
some too small token
for food
his voice
is educated
articulate
but uninterested
I
long to ask
where
what
why
but do not
so
he stumbles
into the dusk
with
only a rucksack
containing his
life
and a 3-legged dog
anelephantcant 
I do like this! I always wonder, when I see someone homeless, what happened? why are you sleeping beside the freeway, on the beach, in the park? A few years ago, I saw an enormous black man in a fine suit standing beside one of the main streets through Bellingham, WA where I live. He was selling helium balloons. He is one person who has haunted me. I want to know his story.
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What a pleasure to see you here, Alicia.
I am glad that you liked the poem and that it provoked some thought.
The writer can ask no more.
Thank you.
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