woman

 

there’s a woman who sits on the sidewalk

surrounded by her belongings

eating last night’s pizza from a greasy box

she doesn’t seem to care how close she is to the curb

rolling her eyes at the exhaust the buses leave behind

as they hurriedly turn the corner and come to a stop barely grazing her left hip

another woman passes by and gives her $2 that she quickly hides in one of her pockets

for safe keeping from desperate eyes

what has numbed her to danger

on a Thursday morning at rush hour when she could be anywhere else

having breakfast with her man

or taking her kids to school

but she’s here

with last night’s pizza that somebody left in the trash

and there’s nothing better

except to remember life

before living became so damn complicated

the sidewalk is an escape

from what was just too much to deal with in a day

out here it’s safer

than being indoors

and although most would disagree

i feel her