“We tolerate shapes in human beings that would horrify us if we saw them in a horse.”
– W.R. Inge

He has
a birthmark
the shape of a lame horse;
he has a club foot, double chin,
hooked nose, ingrown toenail,
wispy hair that some take
as a halo, others as a dust cloud.
He has freckles and pockmarks,
stained teeth and a beard. He bumps
into people, misses cues, sings off-key,
tears his sweaters on nails and often
spills his coffee even with safety lids.

But he’s happy. He thinks he’s
enormously beautiful
and smiles at every stranger.
He hugs those in pain
and those in pain don’t notice
his armpit stains or the
faint smell of mothballs
because they feel like
they’ve been accepted by
the most loving creature
in the world. Quite possibly
a miracle.

04/01/2005

Posted on 09/11/2005
Copyright © 2024 Lisa Marie Brodsky