Liberty's Beggar

View of a street beggar. First published in the Northwest Passage Literary Review.

LIBERTY'S BEGGAR
by Alex Wylie

standing on the corner
of Liberty Street,
tattered brown sign
sheers wind.
borderline bum waiting to be
suburb broken.

a fruit stand topples,
wind blown
lemons roll to his feet.
all the good fruits
apples
    pears
        even bananas
           roll
out of reach.
Nothin’ new, he says
gnawing the lemon.