The old man wore a white goatee
the length and width of the nation.
He was ill when they first identified him.
His body was found in Los Angeles.
It cost me five bucks and
I broke a rule that May
for a short time
to sit at his old place near the bus stop.
The incumbent gone,
I felt like a pioneer
at the corner of Sixth and Main.
-- Matthew Morgan
4 comments:
Matthew!
You knocked the wind right out of this old man. There is just so much in this little piece that it would take a whole book to put it into prose.
From the "goatee the length and width of the nation" to the young pioneer taking his place, the images are so dense and rich that they draw me right in.
All I can say is I wish that I'd said that -- now that I think of it, I think I will, by reading your words at one of the poetry events I attend. Thank you.
ed pacht
Ed,
I hope you will include this reading with your fine work. It deserves wider exposure.
Matthew is now an adult and I have lost contact with him. He wrote this to fulfill a poetry requirement for my Creative Writing class at Millersburg Military Institute about 6 years ago. He was 17 and the poem was based on a journalism assignment in which he had to research and write about homelessness.
great job, mr. matthew, you should be a poet. :) chandler hamby
Matthew Morgan was also a terrific basketball player!
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