Day In The Park
You’ve spotted him in passing. On the outskirts of your life.
He’s never with a buddy, there’s no way he has a wife.
In the produce aisle, he loiters. Strangely vacant type of stare.
Often sitting at your Starbucks with a cup of old despair.
Much like Pigpen from the comics in the orbit of his dirt.
Cloud of sadness over this guy. More than just an introvert.
You wonder, “What on earth could cause that level of decay?”
He looks so lost, detached from life, you cannot glance away.
Thoughts moving with velocity, you watch him as he goes.
Growing more unsettled now – what danger might he pose?
Lacking passion, we have nothing. You can see that he has none.
Could this be the kind of person who might show up with a gun?
That outcome unrealistic for all others you have known.
A sensation you feel strongly – he’s somewhere deeply all alone.
Can’t shake the possibility. Your questions still unsolved.
But, with just a little digging, this one might yet be resolved.
You fasten on your research hat to figure out his deal…
Observing him in public (your attention you conceal).
Growing frightened by this stranger, just so raw and out of place.
In such a tranquil neighborhood, no room for this nutcase.
The fragrance of his energy? Impending sense of doom.
At least your quirky neighbors act like humans in a room.
Just a glass half full of sanity is not too much to ask.
Right then you notice, in the park, he’s sipping on a flask.
The moment has arrived, wake up, you tell yourself inside.
“This time I will transcend above my tendency to hide.”
You summon all your courage as you charge across the grass:
“I know what you are up to. YOU NO LONGER GET A PASS!”
But when you land in his vicinity, you’re met by this surprise:
He’s not drinking any liquor and there’s moisture in his eyes.
On his lips is not a flask – it’s just a picture in a frame.
He kisses it so gently while your body fills with shame.
This man you viewed as dangerous once lived a different way.
Maybe sitting at the table where his daughter used to play.
Or perhaps the very spot where he once got down on his knee.
And now, this private moment, as he makes a silent plea.
A huge miscalculation, you can see it all so clear.
The one thing left to do, for you, is quickly disappear.
He’s so fully lost in memory and hasn’t seen your face.
You grab this opportunity. Your feet begin to race.
Humiliation rising – how did your radar go so wrong?
Someone’s heart completely broken…simply trying to hang on.
Head down, now sprinting fast you run. Back in your car with haste.
This spotlight burning hotter on “gut feelings” so misplaced.
You perceive the worst as instinct, now it penetrates your soul.
Unless you shed this habit, you’re about to lose control.
You say it in a whisper, “Worst assumptions aren’t fine.”
“Somehow I’ve lost my way. Enough. I need to draw the line.”
In this moment comes a lesson gripped so tightly in your hand:
Never again forgetting…
All that surrounds you are journeys…
You can’t fully understand.
