the men

today I was walking through the park
full of dandylions and grass
and dogs and couples
kissing.
there was
football and soccer practice
and I noticed
out of the corner of my eye
a homeless man.
he was dirty
god was he dirty
unshaven and
dirty
and it occured to me
that this man was once a child.
he was once a child,
with a mother who fed him soup
on cold days
and
a father who taught him how to be
a man.
he was once a child
wide eyed on his
first day of school
with a bed
and a baseball bat
and a red backpack
and a favourite game
and a crush
and a teddy bear.

today, I was looking through my book
full of presidents and dates
and ancient civilizations and
artists.
there were names
of important people
and I noticed
out of the corner of my eye
a photograph.
he was hanging
god, he was hanging
from a tree
with a rope tied around his neck
and
people underneath him
observing.
and it occured to me
that this man once had a life.
he was once a slave,
who earned his freedom
doing god knows what.
he had eaten an untold
amount of food,
consumed gallons upon gallons of water,
and had gone to the store.
he had purchased his suit
a full three piece suit
as well as his top hat
from another person.
he decided to wear that outfit
that day
and now he is in
my book.