Mister Nobody
He sits quietlyNot eating for days
Hoping for strangers to toss him a coin
He begged for money
A sandwich
Or even for someone to just smile
Hundreds of people passed him
Three piece suits
Designer dresses
Twenty dollar cigars
They looked but they could not see
Maybe they choose not to see
They never talked to the man
They never knew he was a hero in WW II
He was a prisoner in Korea
He retired while in Vietnam
Never asking about his wife and kids
Killed by a man
Drunk while driving
They never stood a chance
At that moment he lost his reason for living
At that moment he lost his mind
Gone were the children's laughter
Gone was the love of his life
Gone was the home where he loved them
Gone was the man
Spending time hiding in basements
Sleeping in cardboard boxes
He survived
But he never lived again
Nobody saw him that cold December night
Snow covered the ground
Ice covered his hair and beard
He simply ceased to be
Now they look at the place where he always sat
Something is missing but no one knows what
He will not be missed
He will not be mourned
He will be lost except in the memory of one person
Who took the time
To talk
To listen
To remember
Poetry by Rob Taylor
Read 996 times
Written on 2007-03-14 at 02:41
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