Has She Really Left? - Karl Kadie

[Lawrence Robinson]

Has She Really Left?
 
Kindness fled with her brother, Wisdom.
She wore an earth-colored shawl, 
no makeup, jeans, and sensible shoes.
Her brother looked back, wide-eyed, 
Prematurely gray hair 
framed his face like a prayer.
You couldn’t make any more
though it was clear 
he was the shorter of the two.
 
You assumed Kindness was gone for good,
as she told no one, textless out the door.
You felt her absence as dark economics 
pressing into your forehead 
like a third, unwanted eyebrow.
The restaurant owner was relieved
she could no longer distract his customers.
He cranked up the Slavic folk music
and launched into a kick dance.
 
But don’t fear her absence.
Didn’t you see her unload 
the food boxes at the shelter,
comfort the boy with 
the purple knee at preschool,
direct the Somali family to the church
to avoid the stench of enforcement,
and sit at the intersection in a silver Lexus, 
where she waited patiently 
for you to take your turn?
 
Though you don’t see her now,
she’s around.
Perhaps she went next door 
to help someone,
or needed a little extra time
with her brother, Wisdom.
 
	- Karl Kadie
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/poetrylovers/attachments/20260203/8aea044d/attachment.htm>