Jumpsuit

I saw a man in an orange jumpsuit today,

Walking slowly but as if he were running

Against the hoards of people

Flowing in the other direction,

 

The orange jumpsuit sticking out

Against the work suits, every one a different shade of grey,

Like an adult film store:

Everyone looks but pretends not to notice.

 

He crossed the busy road

And went into the park,

Slowing his steps even more as he walked through the gate,

As if encountering nature for the first time.

 

He stood below a tree

And stared up at a bird’s nest in the branches:

A nest no one had ever stopped to look at before,

Probably,

And he heard the bird singing,

Storytelling,

Or singing a lullaby to lull its chicks to sleep.

 

If I had better sight I might have seen him shed a tear,

And I imagined him, his cheeks moistened from crying

Over this simple beauty,

Embracing the tree for giving the birds a home,

As if encountering nature for the first time.

 

Instead he just sat down and closed his eyes,

Listening to the storytelling,

The lullaby,

Until the men came and took him away

In chains he didn’t need,

And as he was dragged past me

Mum said he was a bad man

And he would be put where he belongs,

But I just saw the tears on his chin dripping one by one

Onto his orange jumpsuit.

Reviews

[deeps]

Wow! This is amazing, I really enjoyed this write.
I tought this was amazing. Full of emotions. Very well written