11.24.24
spare change…
spare change…
weather rifts uprooted bricks to a sidewalk in disarray…
remnants left by freeze then scorch to restore in future days…perched on peaks sat worn-out shoes near a scruffy duffel bag…
belonging to a drifter man whose bedroll hit tough snags…
his thumb had led him ‘round these parts with hunger in his bones…
last week’s daily bread soon gone sent him ambling further home…his hearth dwelt where his heart beat smooth no matter where he stood…
hence hankerings for a bellyful drove his push for doing good…
a stable path across the street kept people on a trot…
to cars parked close like canned sardines on a hot employee lot…sweat beads sprouting through their skin ‘neath half squints glancing down…
forged his head with ancient thoughts… “do i really need this town?”…
but yeah his travels landed him at handy spots for dough…
past places where his trade began so many roads ago…where he and strangers chanced to meet in various locations…
swapping decent deals through common-bonded situations…
the skills he held by helpful hands didn’t seem to matter much…
that old routine of duty’s deed stayed far from out-of-touch…hence here he watched and waited while a crazy world chased time…
looking for that lapse where new spare change might fall in line…
he spied a guy just down the block unlocking a hatchback door…
straddling off of angled turf he moved towards furthermore…a shrunken tire had punctured the plans of a crew boss family man…
now clearing his trunk of toys and junk like half-filled bottles and cans…
he finally yanked a donut outside and with it a lug wrench and jack…
looking disgusted he seemed extra puzzled by troubles still intact…“ya need some help?”… the drifter asked… as he stared at fumbling hands…
struggling to pry off a hubcap or properly set up a car-jack stand…
“could use some help”… the man replied… “i’m not too good at this”…
“and i’m really in a hurry there’s a meeting i can’t miss!”…then he stepped aside and wiped his brow with a company handkerchief…
as drops of worry hugging his face dried out to tense relief…
with a busy schedule devouring hours and that meeting popping up…
to have this old-timer fix his flat brought a hint of brighter luck…he saw faded lug nuts turning loose then a jack handle pumping weight…
and as that wheel rose up it stirred his conscience wide awake…
he’d never experienced down-to-earth through dirty calloused grips…
as he preferred to pay a labor bill or gift a friendly tip…he’d find someone else for work as such and only have to ask…
since he felt himself too good to stoop to completing menial tasks…
then a new idea spiked his mind like gushers from the ground…
“what if obstacles developed with no help at all around?”…that thought had caught a sense for him he hadn’t met before…
it opened up an outlook behind unwanted leftover chores…
it had him rolling up his sleeves and hoisting up that spare…
then apply and tighten lug nuts with the old guy kneeling near…he kept pitching in to finish while that drifter supervised…
which left him feeling tuckered out yet somehow energized…
it lit a sparkle in his eyes plus a smile above his chin…
he brushed fresh dirt off his hands and shirt then saw the old man grin…he helped that drifter to his feet and thanked him with three tens…
then let him use his handkerchief and thanked him once again…
they parted as best buddies might through a “see-you-later” good-bye…
and as that guy sped down the street you could hear the drifter sigh…“thank ya lord!… ya got somethin’ else?… you’re a’wantin’ me to do?”…
then with his duffel bag at hand he tucked three tens in his shoe!…
… š