Samaritanitis

image borrowed from bing

Samaritanitis

“No one would remember the samaritan if he only had

good intentions--he has to have money too.”

--Margaret Thatcher.

When you came out of the supermarket

and you were approached by a teenager

in a gray hoodie, with a yellow striped

skateboard tucked under one arm,

and he asked you for spare change,

you stopped & stared at him

incredulously;

“Stupid little shit--

who does he think he is?

Why did he pick me to ask?

Why doesn’t he just flip burgers

for some pocket money

like most of his friends?

Did his parents know that he was

out here begging for money

from strangers?”

Yet he calmly returned the stare,

& there was no arrogance

or lack of respect

in his watery blue eyes;

there were dark circles under them,

dirt on his cheeks, & he had bad breath

with yellowed teeth.

“Was he high on drugs,

or strapped with a Glock,

or carrying a hunting knife?

He was terribly thin,

his soiled clothes hung on him

like rags on a bag of bones,

his cheeks were wet

from recently weeping,

& he had a long scar

on his forehead.

Other people bustled by

unaware of the mini-drama

playing out in those few

chilly rain-soaked moments.

Making a snap decision,

you pulled out your wallet

and handed the young man

a five dollar bill.

“Thank-you,” he said quietly,

moving on quickly to another shopper.

He had a ripped back pocket

on his grimy jeans, & you could see

his dirty white underwear poking out. 

When you got to your car,

you became angry with yourself;

“The little asshole probably conned me--

screwed again by my soft heart!”

you thought,

“Or maybe he will eat his first meal today

across the street at McDonald’s.”

But the anger resurfaced with a resentful surge;

“You’re just an easy mark, a sucker--too stupid

to realize you can’t fix the world with five bucks.

Then another voice suggested,

“No, I can’t--but maybe this small thing I have done

will infuse a positive vibe into the dark soul of just

one lost child, & it will be a pivotal point, a new

beginning, an impetus for change.”

So you felt good as you drove home,

deciding not to dwell on the negative

possibilities.

Two days later, you saw the same kid

in the strip mall parking lot, laughing

& skateboarding with some other boys,

wearing clean clothes, & a damned

stab of regret left the taste of metal

in your mouth. 

Glenn Buttkus

Posted over on dVerse Poets Poetics

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