AJ Lewis Poetry, Poems: Directions (from "A Slip Of The Tongue")

my pregnant wife and my son were waiting in the
car
as I hurried into the gas station to buy some cheap
wine.
lately I have been thinking about integrity
and what makes a hero out of a man
and what I'd do if I got an opportunity to help
someone.

well, as I was waiting in line to pay,
I saw a man in his sixties
wearing a winter coat and thumbing through a book of scribbles.

as the cashier was ringing me up
he said in his thick middle-eastern accent, "hey, this guy needs directions,
can you help him?"
I shrugged
and then listened to the lost fellow attempt to tell me
where he wanted to go.

it was obvious that something was wrong with his mind
as he had seemed to forget where his home was
and he kept thumbing through his book of scribbles.

people came in and paid and left.

time could have brought in new moons
and shift changes.

yet, as I stood there listening to him, I remembered my wife and my son
waiting for me in the parking lot. I needed to go.
then my wife called me on my cell phone; to be polite I didn't answer.

but I wasn’t solving anything with my questions and his
answers,
so I said "good luck to you," and exited to the parking lot.

my wife was leaning out the car window and said,
"what took you so long?"

"oh, there's a guy in there,
I guess he's lost,
and I think there’s something wrong with him. I should go back in there
and help him. what do you think?"

she shook her head. I got in the car and we drove home.

my wife needed help getting her and my son up the stairs to our apartment.

I guess that guy might still be driving around
looking for his home,
but I'll never know if I could have genuinely helped him.

I guess I'll have to leave the hero business up to the
heroes
tonight.
and I'll have to convince myself
as I drink this cheap wine
that tonight it's o.k.
not to care.