The family

She stands lonely on the street

amid the exhaust

and in a passing car a boy

of five sees her, and wonders of her

but his thoughts turn as his father

pulls away

She stands in the cold, and shivers,

pulling her black coat over her black dress

she waits for the light to change

on her right a boy sells roses,

and on her left a man reads a paper.

She stands alone, with her thoughts.

So she hands the boy a bill,

taking a rose from the crumpled handful

and as she runs her fingers

over it’s delicate stem

the light changes

so she begins to walk.

She crosses traffic, careful

not to step in the gathered puddle

as she reaches the other curb.

She holds the rose in her hand

and as she passes, some stair,

with thoughts of devil-worshippers and witches.

And she walks to the door of an unmarked

building, and is silhouetted

against the poster for rap concerts and

others. She opens the door,

and walks the long flight of stairs to

another door.

And at the door she stops, and knocks,

and a man dressed in black emerges

he looks at her from behind tinted sunglasses

and knows, and she knows

He moves aside, puts a hand on her shoulder,

And leads her in.

Inside the Family welcomes her.