I was sitting in a pub with some friends having a few beers in October, 1995.  Our table was right up against a window.  We were laughing and having a good time, it was pouring rain outside.  All of a sudden, this man dressed in tattered clothes (obviously homeless) came up to the outside of the window by our table, rubbed the fog off the glass so he could see inside, cupped his hands around his eyes and stuck his face right on the window. He was soaked to the skin, rain dripped off the end of his nose, yet he was covered in grime.  Some of my friends laughed at him...teased him...called him a freak and called out things like "Get a job!", and "What a loser!".  I just sat there, looking at my so-called friends, and thought "I bet this man's got a story, and it wouldn't be difficult for any of us to end up in his position since we all live paycheck to paycheck."  I excused myself from the table, went into the bathroom, and wrote this poem on about 3 napkins (front and back).  The words would not stop coming.

Next Of Kin

You look outside the window and you see a weathered face,
The story of this man is one about a fall from grace.
His wife would kiss him every day as he went out the door,
Then pray as hours passed that he would be worth waiting for.

His boss had told him days ago that he's not welcome here,
So off he goes each day downtown to raise his glass of beer.
He hadn't planned to stay so late, that night inside the bar,
And by the time he left the guys, he knew he couldn't get far.

His keys kept slipping from his hand as he walked to his truck,
He knew inside his muddled head, he shouldn't push his luck.
But then his thoughts turned to the girl who served him drinks all day,
And as he smiled, the engine revved, and he quickly sped away.

Now it's hours later, and his wife is by his side,
She looks at him with all the shame she can no longer hide.
As he tried to fight the constant pounding in his head,
He reached for her, but found that he was handcuffed to the bed.

He looked up at his wife with eyes that were all red and fat,
And asked her what he could have done to be locked up like that?
The tears and sorrow in her eyes just broke his heart in half,
And as she walked away, he knew he'd never get her back.

As she faded from the doorway, he began to cry,
Then looked up through his tears to see the mother of the child.
She briskly walked up to his bed, and he could see her pain,
She raised her hand, then thought again of how her son was slain.

As he lay there looking up at her red, swollen face,
He realized what he had done: that he had lost the race.
His memories came back so clear about the red Mustang,
The last thing he remembered was how loudly his ears rang.

The funeral was sad, and there were many people there,
He wanted to make sure he went, though they were not aware.
He'd lost his wife, his job, and now his own self-dignity,
What could he do now with life, except just fade away?

So, when you see this man outside the window looking in,
He's praying that on YOUR way home, you'll spare your Next Of Kin.

It was New Year's Eve, 2001 when I wrote this.  I wasn't lonely, though, NOOOOO, not at all. Okay, maybe a little. 

The Perfect Man

• When I look into his eyes, I will know that I want to feel like this forever...the way I do at that moment
• Our love is equally given and received
• He is the first one I want to tell about my day - good or bad
• He inspires me to be a better person
• He is his own person, he's not easily influenced by others
• He thinks I'm smart and funny and beautiful...especially first thing in the morning
• He knows when to comfort me...and when to leave me alone
• He has goals of his own, as well as shares some of mine
• He believes honesty is the best policy, even when the truth hurts...but he will lie to protect me
• He will put his heart on the line to tell me how he feels
• I know him as well as he knows himself, yet he still knows how to surprise me
• We support each other's right to have an opinion...and we can agree to disagree
• There are a few things we must agree on to a certain degree:
• Money - how to spend it, whether to spend it, and when to spend it
• Children - whether to have them, how to discipline them, and never to disagree about them, in front of them
• Family - acceptance of each other's families, never having to choose between our families and each other
• He is educated...he knows the difference between "there", "their", and "they're"
• He knows more than I do about certain things, and I know more than he does about certain things...and we are each willing to teach and learn from the other
• When we go out together, he is proud to have me by his side
• The sweetest sound is my name on his lips
• He stretches the limits of my imagination
• He is my biggest fan
• He completes me

What?  Too much to ask?  I think not.