#100Poems: Number14

I parked by the street today —
intent on getting my 10,000 steps.
Or is it 8,000?
It doesn’t matter.
I’m not going to do it anyway.

I let the motor idle with the A/C still running
while a favorite song plays.
My eyes wander over to the man at the bus stop.

He’s old.
Old in that way that reminds me
of weathered sepia-colored prints
from the early 20th century.

His coat is a nondescript brown.
So are his pants.
And he wears a hat. Not a ball cap.
A hat.

He sits patiently. Waiting.
A modern still life in the city.

Suddenly, he reaches down by his feet
where a crack in the sidewalk hosts
a collection of weeds.
He plucks a baby dandelion from the debris,
yellow, and full of life,
and sticks it in his faded lapel.

12 Replies to “#100Poems: Number14”

  1. A beautiful reminder to not only be a bit stiller in life but also that we can see life differently by changing up our habit patterns. And…I do the same thing…park just a little farther away to get those steps in! Aren’t you glad having that metric caused you to do just that? Otherwise you would have missed such a wonderful moment.

  2. I really like this piece. It’s so graphic and emotional, yet not “soppy.”

    I just discovered your blog today. Anyone who puts the word coffee in the title of her blog immediately has my attention. There’s just nothing like the taste or smell of fresh-brewed coffee. One of my favorite pieces of clip art is a very happy man holding a cup full of coffee and a coffee pot ready for refills. I post it on my site and my Facebook page every once in a while just because I like it.

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