Old Man in Blue
© 2009
Dan Johnson

Three blocks west of the bust stop
Smoke filled the air,
Puffy clouds, were promptly dispatched,
As smoke meandered with little care
While
Three blocks east, back at the bus stop,
He slowly came my way.
Shuffle, shuffle, left foot limp, slight misstep,
But he continued, carrying two bags filled with groceries, the kind of bags
That cost $1.99 at Safeway, but only cost .25 cents to man-u-fac-ture
Somebody made a large profit on that one.
Old man wore blue jeans that looked like they
Were fresh from the Laundromat, even ironed,
Look at the crease. His white shirt, unbuttoned at
The top button, but clean as clean could be,
On his head a dark blue cap, the kind of cap you would wear out at sea,
Then he asked questions to me.
What smells so good?
I pointed to the BBQ Pit down the street
And he asked with the look of a lost pup looking for sympathy,
Hey lad, don’t feel sorry, don’t be subject to sadness, what I
Really want to know, is, do you have a cigarette or two, for me? I said no,
Shuffle, shuffle, left foot limp, off went the old man into the blue haze.