ONE CIGARETTE
“It’s cold out here
I’m freezin’ ta death!”
An old man
Says teeth chattering
In his skull
I walk past
All the bars the
Hipsters the vagrants
Past the bright lights
Of clubs & stores
That offer no refuge
From the below zero
Glare of street lamps
And cars
But there
She stands freezing
Shaking uncontrollably
On the corner
In a short dress
& a thin puffy coat
Trying to look tough
When she can’t be more
Than 17
“Hey mister !”
“You got a cigarette?”
I turn to look
Across the street
“I’ll suck your cock for twenty dollars”
And in a moment
That seems like an eternity
I stare. It’s that feeling that
Comes over you when it
Seems like everything
Is unreal
But then
It hits me
Not disgust
But a nausea
A sadness that suddenly
Wells up into my gut
My soul and my heart
Broken into 100,000 pieces
In less than 30 seconds
I shake my head …
“No.”
I don’t have a cigarette for you
Go home.
Your Mom & Dad
Are probably dying
Right now without you
Go find a warm shelter and
Get off this street now or I’ll
Have to call the police
“Fuck You !”
She replies
And again
That nauseous feeling
Returns
And sadly
And calmly
I reply back
Not even one
Cigarette or a $20 dollar bill is going to
Save your sorry ass
And if you haven’t already
Noticed God isn’t saving you
Or watching over you
Either
So
You only have
2 choices
You can freeze
To Death or you can save
Yourself
And that’s
The only gift
There is
Living.
And I don’t care
“Merry Christmas”
And I
Walked off into
The cold & the snow
Knowing nothing
More for her
Could ever be done
~ R.M.2018