olive bread

in a giving mood,

i hand the fat man who sits

on the corner

in his metal folding chair

with his sign

reading, god bless,

homeless,

vet,

three kids,

a loaf of olive bread

from the

bakery.

it's crunchy and best

served toasted

in slices

with a pad of butter.

he looked at me and

said,

what's this for?

i said

it's for you to eat.

he laughed and said

does that

make you feel better

giving me

a loaf of bread?

i can get all the bread

i want

at the shelter.

what i need is money.

cash.

if you want to really

feel

good about yourself

write me a check.

just try it, i said.