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Blue Horse
by Traci MabatsWhen I was a little girl
I saw a man digging in
a garbage can
on the bus home from school
Later I asked my dad
why he was doing that
My dad said that the man was homeless
and he was looking for food
I felt bad for the man
having to find dinner
in a garbage can
I asked if we could give him some money
but my dad said no
He said the man was an alcoholic
and money that should go to food
would end up buying liquor
to instead feed his disease
Then my dad got a brown paper bag
and told me we could fill it with food
and give to the man
We took cans out of the cupboards
tuna, soups, and such things
I worried that he wouldn't have a can opener
We finished filling the bag,
got into the pickup
and found him in the alley
I stayed in the pickup
as my dad gave him the bag
He came up to the door
and shook my hand
as if I were some important person
Instead of an ignorant little girl
His name was Blue Horse
but I never saw him after that
later, after he died
I learned that he was an artist 10/15/2003 Author's Note: more of a memory than a poem I guess, but here it is all the same
Posted on 10/15/2003
Copyright © 2025 Traci Mabats
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Maureen Glaude on 10/15/03 at 10:40 PM an important memory on an important topic even moreso perhaps today. Well done. Poignant and stirring. |
| Posted by Maureen Glaude on 11/04/03 at 03:02 AM this is very strong, Sharona. Really punches us in the gut at the end. I love it, and the social message. |
| Posted by Charles E Minshall on 01/22/04 at 03:57 AM Well done Sharona. Your dad must be a pretty nice guy.....Charlie |
| Posted by Ginette T Belle on 02/02/04 at 10:58 PM it's a lovely memory... |
| Posted by Philip F De Pinto on 03/26/04 at 12:52 PM your Blue Horse is so much more than memory, so much more than poem, it is soul stirring and insightful. We in essence, are all potential Blue Horses. |
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