get a job

as i sit at the light

in my car,

waiting for it to turn green,

i look to my left

and see the same man,

with the same

old battered sign

standing there. he's been

there for at least four

years no what the weather

is. sometimes

he sits in a chair with a bucket

beside him.

then suddenly it occurs to me,

in a flash of light,

i have a stunning epiphany.

if he had a job, he wouldn't

have to be out there

begging day after day

for money.

in fact there would be very

little poverty if everyone

put down the crack pipe

and fentanyl and

went out and got a job.

or two jobs, doing whatever

it takes to put food on

the table and find shelter.

if everyone worked

this homeless crisis

would be over in a heartbeat.

how come no one has thought

of this before?

i'm so enthralled by this idea

that i'm calling my congressman

and senator tomorrow.

although they do tend to take

the whole month of August off.