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Safe Streets
This morning
she stepped off the bus
at the corner
of Main and Hastings.
A man was kneeling
in the middle of the road.
He was on his hands and knees.
He looked like he was praying;
the crosswalk his mat facing Mecca.
She stood paralyzed
as oblivious cars
swirled around him
playing some kind
of surreal video game.
She was too horrified to help
but someone intervened,
stepped into the street
and gently lifted him up
removing him from
the Dance of Death
circling around him.
Every day
there are such moments of grace
on these streets.
Tonight
I stand waiting
for the last bus
at the same corner
with my curly haired daughter;
frantically digging in my purse
looking for my lost pass.
A lady takes pity on us
and gives us the transfer
she was trying to sell for a quarter.
Every night
there are such moments of grace
on these streets.
~ Composed by Mary Duffy
(For Maryann Cantillon; previously
published in Carnegie News)
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