and I saw someone walking down the street
talking out loud, laughing and chattering to no one,
I’d conclude them mad and give them a wide berth.
Now such madness is the norm, and I’m the deviant.
and I saw someone walking down the street
eyes fixed apparently upon the palm of their hand
I’d guess they’d soon have a date with a street light pole,
or a junkyard dog, or a sidewalk crack – with some reality.
I thought what I saw and felt was real, as real
as me, as dangerous and vulnerable
as me, and so requiring my full attention.
That’s the kind of fool I was, when I was a boy.
