Don Ward Poem by R.Benjamin Abate

In NYC on the corner
of the Avenue of the Americas
& 47th st. Stands a man
Known as 'Don'

He's yelling at you
To come on over
So he can shine your
Shoes for five bucks

He says things like,
'Hey gorgeous, your hair
Looks nice, the lipstick is
Workin' - but you know where
I'm goin' right? Those boots
Need love.'

He lives his life with
No regrets
He loves shining shoes-
He's obsessed-

Don says,
'You can tell a lot about
A man by looking at his shoes-
I can tell if he's cheap
I can tell if he's selfish-
Inconsiderate-
Don't give a damn-
You can tell if he got some money-
You can tell if he's pretendin'
To have money.'

To Don, it's an Art-
He has a way with shoes-

So come on down to see Don-
He's waiting for you-
Rain or Shine.