I saw two bums pass on the street.
They didn't stop.
They didn't speak to one another.
There was no conversation,
No recognition of their brother,
No common spark,
No shared information,
Where the easy marks might be,
Or a shed to spend the night,
Or a place they might get fed.

They gave no pause, walked surely by,
No nod of the head, nor look to the eye
Of the one they passed.
Could they be sure, if someone asked
If they had even seen the other
On the street ? There was no witness
Of this meeting but me.

And I sure learned a thing or two
In the effort to do unto others
As they would have done to them.
Keep your chin up, and don't give a damn
About your brother,
For that's how these guys treated each other,
I guess?
Or maybe there's a lot more to
This story that I don't know.

-jenn