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Wednesday, February 27, 2008
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.
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Selected PoetrySecond Wind (from "Disarming The Atom Bomb") they thought I was gonna take the dive give it up for something easy roll over into a ... (more) Wanting More (from "A Slip Of The Tongue") in high school I was very depressed. I would excuse myself for long bathroom breaks and go to the top level bridge and ... (more) The Singular Poem (from "Disarming The Atom Bomb") I have written many poems in myself without words or ... (more) Syndicate rss atom Copyright © 2006 - 2009 by AJ Lewis Previous Posts
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