the oncoming cripple in a
wheelchair
his lap crowded with leaves
of colourful pamphlets
deliberately
mirrored his what-he-had-deemed casual
feigns scarcely discernible side-to-sides
which he made as he walked towards the man-on-wheels rolling on the sidewalk
stepping inside
to the edge of parched brown
grass
and
outside
to the tall worried curb
above the crumbling main street
he glanced up at him over the
edge of the book as he read as he walked
walking and reading isnt as hard
as most people make out
Ya toss your eyes up see what yer
to anticipate then continue walkin an readin
hed seen him rollin in his chair
likely before he had the occasion of seein him
that wasnt to say that they werent
of the same practise allowin that he
might have seen him walkin with his book before his face
tho at six-one to his mind
he was likely to see up a street far better than someone tethered to the ground at ne'rly four feet
but
inside the next sixty seventy metres confirmation
of either assessment would become evident
he already placed his money
he didnt hedge his bet
at ten metres apart he stopped walkin
the man continued forward and rolled
up to him
nearly banging his shins with his foot-supports
tells tells
life if you really thought about it was all a matter of tells
rollerboy told him all he needed
to know at better than a distance of one hundred metres
that said
perhaps if he wasnt in a chair
he
might have fooled him
strode
up on him to one shoulder or the other
and
upon their nearness excused himself
then produced a
pamphlet from a weighted pocket he couldnt have noted at a distance as each saw the other approach
there was actually a better story
they stood with the clods of
their shadows leaning in heavily beside them
leerily eyeing each other aware
of their imperfections contemptuous
rude
their manikins however were
unlike they
He aint sitting around being
invisible
I can see you and him
I dont want there to be any doubt
Pick on someone else then
I said I can see you both
Well a lot of people act like they dont see him Dont
see him in his chair
Chairs missing limbs physical
infirmities deformities unfortunately make other people uncomfortable They dont
know where to look so they tend to look away
It says more about them individually than its says about you
You dont have
the option to look away
I didnt look away
No You didnt look away You looked hard And straight at us
You did try to slip us though
If you lost those damn pamphlets
What Do We All Have In Common we wouldnt have
We dont subscribe to that shit Not Original Sin Not Were All Born
Sinners Not Payment For Our Sin Is Death
And definitely Not Jesus Died For Us *
Thats for some other kind of suckers
Not our kind of tit if you dig my
meaning
So whats he going to do
Hes gonna be polite Refuse his
pamphlet Thank him for his time Then be on his way
He miss were in a chair
He dont even see the chair He sees the man
He
refutes the man and his religion
Most peoples infirmities or
challenges are unseen on purpose
They hide them
They attempt to be who they are
not They want you to see what they want you to see What they project
And thats dishonest
Weve too little time for that
We like our liquor straight
--- No thank you
I dont believe in God I
appreciate what you believe for yourself
afternoon, Day-between-Two-Ts, 10 2.
16
0040, Moanday,
15 2. 16
*
Patti Smith / Gloria (Jesus Died For Somebodys Sin But Not Mine)
