No One Would

A homeless man in front of the coffee shop doorTalking to himselfLaughing, then nearly cryingI wonder who he is talking toHis zip-up jacket hangs off his left shoulderHis beard and hair unkempt and long.People breeze past him on their wayto get coffee and start their dayAvoiding eye contact with the crazy manThe lost man, the wayward strangerAfraid of engaging or recognizing something in his eyesAfraid of his humanity.What made him this way?He was a baby onceAn infant in his mother's armsHow did her baby end up here?The lost man on the streetBlocking the door to the start of my morning.Fear and annoyance first in my heartThen pity for him andanger at the system thatfailed himThen I just wonder if he'd like a coffee andsomeone to look him in the eye.His name is CurtisHe said my hair reminds him ofMarsha, Marsha, Marshaand the barista's hair is the most beautifulauburn.Tell me how he remembers that wordbut struggles to recall his own name?He said some weird shitsomething about Moses andhow he met him at the shelterHe spoke of various brothersand God, like he's someone he knowsMostly nonsense, but glimmers of lucidity.His teeth are all gone except two on the bottomLike my own baby boy, except thatthis man's teeth are black at the rootHis eyes are missing their lightLike a candle nearly burned outHe's there, but lost.I told him I had to go to work, he asked-You have a job? Can I go with you?I'm a good worker, he said.Have a good day, Curtis,Sit here on this bench with your coffeeI press a spare quarter into his palm-Black and dirty fingernails unfurland reveal a fistful of coins.What will this man's day entail?I just hopepeople are nice.Recognizing that no one would choose this life.Maybe he's an addictHis mental health is a wreckBut he could be me,or you,he was once an innocent child, too.-Morgan Barrett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Get full access to Chronically Candid at morgannbarrett.substack.com/subscribeSupport my work by reading & subscribing to Chronically Candid on Substack at morgannbarrett.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.