His face was gray and peppered white chaos
with wrinkles crossing underneath
the tangled mess that strangers see,
concealing a few rotting teeth
that leave only a slight lingering odor.

He holds up a cardboard quality plea
for some human decency.
I oblige in a kindness drive by,
no bullets but, a banana, an apple
a gallon of water, and some love.

Hefty lady at the McDonald’s counter
says that she saw a beggar
pull out a huge ***.
Another worker said she saw
a different beggar taking his donations to
the liquor store on the next corner.

I sit back in a bent black rolly chair
while a friend points somewhere out there
at a young brown skinned man
with his pants sagging partly down
and says that he is a ****.

I do not engage in this conversation
because I do not know any thugs,
so how could I observe and classify
that stranger who was just passing by.

White shirt, and black cap
my friend sits back and yells at
his cellphone
because it won’t play
the current football game.
I smile and try to keep
the chuckles inside of me
as he is cursing his expensive
piece of modern convenience.

I watch these people
but I cannot judge them,
because I know they are all fragile humans beings
and I only have enough heart left to love them.