On my way
To physical therapy
Hoping to ease
My maladies
Here is this man
On the off ramp
Grizzled weathered
(I could be him
He could be me)
Sitting in a lush
Patch of grass
And fast-food litter
Shaded by bright signs
Directions to turn
This way or that
Eat here or there
A piece of cardboard
In his lap in black
Magic marker reads
“PLEASE HELP”
On a whim I
Intended to roll
Down my window
And empty my wallet
For him but the
Light turned green
There’d be horns
Impatience for
Drive-thru
Chicken fingers
Burgers and fries
On my way home
I hoped his
Situation might be
More convenient
David Sapp, writer, artist, and professor, is a Pushcart nominee. His work appears widely in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. His publications include chapbooks Close to Home and Two Buddha, a novel Flying Over Erie, and a book of poems and drawings titled Drawing Nirvana.