her

she walked by me yesterday.

i just saw the backside of her.

the skirty kinda shorts that just barely covered her,
and i mean JUST barely.
the shoes with heels i'd never be able to walk in,
her shins with the muscles that showed she walked
in them or similar ones a lot. the whole outfit
screaming 'hurt me and use me, i'm right here.'

she was tough and she was hard. and she looked like
she was headin' to a street corner to go hang out on.

she was with a guy.

he wasn't interested. he walked two steps ahead and to the side,
paying no attention. filled with an attitude himself -
'i've had her, don't need her now, whatever.'

they were an african american couple, getting into a cadillac
with D.C. plates.

they drove by me and i saw her big huge hoop earrings glimmering
in the car.

i wondered what her journey had been.
i cringed when i thought of what some of her experiences
had been like.
and i wondered what her childhood had been like and how
long did she have to be an innocent kid.

i doubted very long.

she was gone, and i went back to my evening.

by the time i climbed into bed last nite, i was about as tired
as ya get. i curled in, pulled the covers up close, and just
lay there thinking.

and she came into my mind.

i wondered where she was.
again, i cringed.

nowhere i'd want to be, that i was sure.

i wondered how long it would take if you sat us both at a
table and uncovered the layers of each of us, how long would
it take us to find each other in the other one?

and then i pictured her and wrapped her in light.
from the very bottom of those shoes of hers to the top of her
head, i wrapped her in light and wished her safe.

the world is one heck of a complicated place to be.....