People who rise in darkness

 

People who rise in darkness

From the street long ago
you see glow of windows
frosty and foggy
as you toss a roll of news.

You’re just a kid
breathing clouds into the air
but you know they will pay
when you ask each month,
sometimes with a tip
though not large.

You catch glimpses of bathrobe,
of coffee pot, scent of bacon
or they wave, bundled outside
scraping windshields of warming-up cars.

The houses still dark
might make up excuses,
dodge you or complain
or be so rich you don’t exist
but the people who rise in darkness
are on your side.

……

First published in Poetry Breakfast — thank you Kay Kestner, editor.
The painting is “We'll Make It Through” by Richie Carter.