I don’t know why

friends are difficult to come by.

It’s easy to be friendly, but people don’t even do that.

Just think what the world would be like

with smiles

waves

and kind words.

It would be an ocean of grace.

I don’t know why

the smartest people are angry

and the most sophisticated

don’t care.

They exit the opera

and critique

what isn’t real

what isn’t there

They don’t feel

anything

for the starving man

on the sidewalk

who doesn’t know who he is.

I went to the library and there was nobody there

I returned my DVDs

I saw a homeless man, eating out of the trash.

“Have a great weekend!” He waved to me.

“Thank you, sir!” I said.

And he skipped down the sidewalk.

I have never seen him hold a sign.

People voluntarily buy him sandwiches.

He’s black

and he jumps up and down

with a bright smile

on his face.

He might be an angel.

I went to church

and nobody looked at me

waved to me

or said a kind word to me.

It was a desert,

but I smiled inside

because of my homeless friend.