Tuesday, August 4, 2020

QUARANTINE LIFE: RIDE TO BALTIMORE

A homeless man sleeping in a doorway
On the other side of the street
There were five brothers laughing and chatting away
A sister on her phone, wondering out loud
Why she’s standing alone
Telling her tardy ride she could have been cool inside
And he was wrecking her day

Not too far down, a boy idling on his bike
A family slowed down by the red light
Kids getting ready to run
The ones in purple scrubs, heading in opposite directions 
Either strolled or sprinted with the intention
To be on time for frontline work, or head home

For every boarded up blight
A few doors down, a shiny, brand new site
If only all of the boards could be removed 
And the course of homelessness could be run
The train reminded me of Addis
If you mistimed crossing the tracks 
Your wait was long
It didn’t care if you were in a hurry
The same rules applied to everyone 

Further down, a lady was hawking pretty clothes; 
So colorful, and I supposed
She used to have a store
A crowded space; people gathering for giveaways 
No social distancing was taking place
Masks dangling from ears; face after sweaty face
I wasn’t feeling anxious anymore 

Maybe I’d been inside too long
The busy streets gave no sign that anything’s wrong
A veteran, with a handmade cardboard sign 
Was singing a song
Perhaps it’s the city where the bold belong 
Carry on, Baltimore 















VRWc2020

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