By Chance

By chance…
A grandmother wringing the necks of chickens,
A nun nurturing prayer beads for Theresa.
A priest pulling a schoolboy’s ear lobe.

By chance…
A moccasin-quiet pickpocket working the parade audience.
A slump-shouldered evangelist carrying his sandwich board of guilt.
A “Going Out of Business” sign getting its fresh coat of paint.

By chance…
A desperate early-day customer rattling the pawnshop’s window grill.
A patient dog walker being walked by a Great Dane.
A scrawny kid standing rigid in a fire hydrant spray.

By chance for the lucky…
Days past came together on retirement home’s Bingo time,
where everyone gets their numbers with smiles and laughter,
all before the numbers run out on those lingering nights of eternal hopes.