Homeless Man Poem by Laurence Overmire

Head bowed down
Sat at the side of a busy intersection
Sign saying, :
"Any change you could
Spare would be a great
Help."

Normally, I would drive on by, a little
Annoyed, a little disturbed
But the light was red. I stopped.
Unfortunate soul, this time
I pulled out my wallet, dollar bill in hand I
Motioned him over.

He jumped with a start, a huge smile on
His face, I gave him the dollar and
I don't know why, but the words came out:
"God bless you."
Strange words for me, not quite in character
"God bless you, " he replied.
"I've been sitting here all day
You're the first person
To give me something
I was praying just now and then I
Looked up and there you were. Did you
Hear my prayer? "

"I must have, " I said. Again, not quite
Sure how those words un-lodged from my
Not-so-pious soul.

He smiled, a toothy spaced-black grin
I smiled too, out of all sense of lost control
An unlikely pair, feeling just fine
In this sometimes miserable and difficult world
Life wasn't quite so bad after all. We knew.

Somehow, somewhere, something
Brought us together, a minor miracle
Stopped for a moment at an impertinent red light
And only a buck to pay the toll.

~ Laurence Overmire