I knew a little boy who dodged his shadow,
laughed at thunder & gave his milk money to beggars.
I knew an old man who cursed his children,
slept in his clothes & drank Finlandia from a coffee cup
I knew a frat boy who could quote Voltaire,
play a mean scrum half & seduce art history majors
I knew an uncle who pulled a card from thin air,
loaned money to the undeserving & bought teens beer
I knew a middle manager who lunched at TGIFridays,
wore birthday ties & looked around before telling a joke
I knew a boyfriend who bought reasonless flowers,
peeked at cleavage & tried to fix her Honda Civic
I knew a young deacon who counseled the faithless,
read Genesis 6:5 with conviction & frowned at your tithe
I knew an unremarkable man who feigned wisdom,
stole money from your purse & left you unsatisfied
Smerdyakov - 2007
