today a man in a wheel-chair…
i suppose the term would be…
jay-rolled
across a busy street
met me halfway
cigarette clenched
between his teeth
small puffs of smoke
blooming from his cheeks,
from his wide and easy grin
as he exerted himself
to beat the traffic
there was a wildness in his eyes
and in that moment
when he was at
the proper distance
for me to see every line
on his worn face clearly
he looked completely free
i smiled at him
but cannot say
that he smiled at me
he’d been grinning
since i first
laid eyes on him