the sad sight of you
jarred me from my routine
long black legs easing up into auburn haunches
wispy ginger tail swaying lazily
a painter’s sable brush
dipped in titanium white

trotting along the curved roadside
between the projects
railroad tracks and the Lehigh river

too much of man on either side
and in between
and underneath
squeezing the wild in
and out

you moved like an insecure teenager
wanting to be free, invisible
while acting casually outrageous
exposing your rowdy intentions to every passing car
an old rebel, flashing
or crazy with rabies

you slowed as I slowed
crossed the road to reach me
a hitchhiker hoping for a ride outta here
freakishly human
your glance asked me to do something
anything
to help

pausing amid the hillside garbage
plastic bags, soggy mattresses, broken television sets
torn clothing, and chewed up shoes

no longer defiant but proud

an elegant gentleman
surrounded by pointless waste
heartbreaking, tender
unnaturally vulnerable

staring at me
unmasked