Friday, September 13, 2019

day NINE HUNDRED and SIXTY SEVEN


Homeless

His sign said it was his birthday
and he was sitting at the bottom of the steps.
I had seen him before
and he was always kind
as I dropped a dollar into his cup.

The train hissed and sighed and rumbled into the tunnel.

Happy Birthday, I said.
and he thanked me.
It’s also Mary Shelley’s birthday
I added
She wrote Frankenstein

and he looked at me and smiled
and said,
I know.
It’s one of my favorite movies

and I smiled and

I wished him a good day
and climbed the steps of the subway
reaching the light
after so much darkness in the tunnel
and wondered
why

why are we so cruel to each other?

--Ally Malinenko 

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