The Observer
Upon well trodden pavement
Comes footfalls with light
Cold respite interrupted
Out of puffy blankets
Dreams with traffic noise blend
The observer emerges
Unseen eyes open
In falls the world
Unfiltered and unjudged
On his cardboard castle
Arms stretched into footsteps stream
Ears open, twin tunnels of wax
Captive of endless partial conversations
Where cometh these varied accents
Animated or sometimes sullen or silent
Briskly walking by
Seated on his spot
A fixture of the city
Hunched, invisible but present
Through the sleets
Down the streets, debris wash
Soggy cardboard seat
Flowing into snow
In tip-less gloves
Wrapped in puffy duvets
Footsteps muffled by powdery flakes
Snow dusting of winter come
The penury of warmth
On his cardboard sledge
Snow-ridden, he descends the street
