swift and cruel all at once

maybe that man

over there reading the back of a can

of baked beans

was a doctor,

or perhaps a lawyer,

maybe

he was an admiral in the navy,

or a CEO

for General Motors.

it doesn't matter,

we're all on equal ground now.

age assures us

of that leveling.

each man

wearing the same ball cap

and khaki pants,

perusing the shelves at

Safeway.

divorced men,

widowed men,

lonely men, now finding their

way alone

in the world,

which is suddenly swift

and cruel

at once.