shoes smoke on the sidewalk

(reflections upon viewing a discarded pair of burnt shoes)

where is the former occupant

of these leather sheaves?

where did the fire begin?

did his bowls roil and hiss,

or did his brain's synapses

malfunction and misfire?

did the pedestrian next to him

offer the man a bottle of water?

could he quench his final thirst

before the flames engulfed him?

did the fury lick out

through his skin, then his suit?

only the shoes, that housed the feet

are left charred

there is nothing else to confirm

the man’s existence to me.

Lucy Simpson

Hyattsvile, MD

1998

revised Seattle 3/2008