You were a gentle soul, <br />with a stained red plaid shirt, <br />hat speckled with bird poop, <br />in saggy-baggy pants that stopped <br />just above two heelless shoes that were <br />see-through to feet with no socks. <br /> <br />So many mornings <br />I walked by your corner, <br />putting money in your cup <br />if only to borrow a smile <br />when I had none left of my own. <br />I always knew the one you gave <br />would be the one that found <br />those I had only misplaced for awhile. <br /> <br />Countless times we shared a lunch, <br />and so did many others, <br />hot soup from the deli across the street <br />or half a tuna sandwich from home, <br />you shared your wooden pallet <br />but not once a conversation, <br />and all the while, you never missed a beat <br />as you continued to pass out <br />that glorious smile to everyone <br />who sauntered by. <br /> <br />I wonder what happened in your life <br />to make you take up <br />residence on that corner, <br />to die cold and alone, <br />the smiles you apportioned <br />your only living legacy. <br /> <br />You will be missed by many, <br />even the shopkeepers who <br />so often shooed you away. <br />I hope you knew <br />what you meant to me <br />… and I didn’t even know your name.<br /><br />C.J. Heck<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/beggar-man-2/
