EVERY MAN

I am no one-and every man- a face in the crowd
unrecognizable-or of discerning judgement a
beggar, a thief, a nomad-could be young or old
I can be whatever you want me to be-a friend or
foe, a native or an immigrant- have an unrecognizable
dialect-be a speaker of many- languages, use my hands
to interpret for the deaf- or the associate of a lowbrow who
prowls the streets looking for a mark- maybe that tourist
visiting Cleveland for the first time- I will be; your beer
drinking union buddy down at the corner pub-or how
about an upper-echelon wine snob who hosts a party
for $500 a head- I can be anyone of them; I am the chameleon
you will never be able to tell, if our paths cross- recently or past
either way- if you see me- you will never escape the unavoidable  

By Michael Perry