one long dirty nail
on the index finger
of his
right hand
extends
perpendicular to the cheese
and club-cracker
hors d' oeuvre
he holds
i shop the isles
of the grocery store
debit card in
hand
try to decide between
generic and name-brand
soda whether or not to
buy ice cream and eye
this
abominable snowman
dressed in army surplus
a wrinkled gray-green canvas
hat holds down the wiry
mess salt and pepper
spaghetti
hair he moves in small
quick jerks like the squirrel
in
my backyard---wary
of the watching
people he stuffs his
jacket
and khaki shorts
with tooth-picked cubes of holiday
ham rocks back and forth
on the Birkenstock sandals
that moor him---crew socks
and all to the
sample-station
buffet i think he looks
like someone who would
keep his
money in tin
can ---buried if
he had any but he
probably lives
---under the Austin Highway
bridge i think he needs
a bath and i wonder where
---he'll eat
his next meal
i think
he wishes
winter wouldn't come
from: Young Writer's Idea Box,
© D. Ellis
Phelps (work in progress), 2013, www.dellisphelps.com.
You may use and distribute this page for educational purposes with the
above reference.
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