AWKWARD

From the bus, I watched a man

with his pants pulled up high,

white socks with dress shoes, oafish,

walking as if a stiff wind fought him. I thought…

What does he do for a job?

Do his coworkers like him?

Tolerate him? Tell stories?

Has he loved someone?

Has someone tried to love him?

And how do any of us make it through life?

I mean, we don’t, of course.

We all die from something.

But before we die, we live, 

limp along,

Walking funny, talking funny, dressing funny,

Hurting

Others and ourselves,

And being hurt,

Laughing our asses off out loud,

Wasting time, and our time

Is so precious.

How do we make it through?

Loving and fearing,

Dying every day,

Wanting things and losing things,

And holding things too tightly,

Trying, TRYING,

We are all just trying.

We all walk into a stiff wind.