The Hidden Man

The Hidden Man


I crawled under a large azalea bush to hide,
The bush was covered with pale lavender flowers.
The abundance of blossoms made it difficult to see inside.
On all fours, I crawled over the fallen brown leaves
That formed a padding under the flowers.
I found another hiding man. Surprised, I asked
Why was he hiding. He sneered, "I'm hiding
From what mankind calls 'pleasure.'
See that
Fox hunt, look at the faces of those empty men
Wearing long red tail coats.
Look, at those empty women
Sipping champagne from long stemmed glasses,
And cheering the men onto cruelty.
See."
I looked and saw nothing, only a long winding, empty black road.
The man then asked me, why I hid.
I could not answer. I did not know.
I had always hid.
Hiding was my lifestyle.
I wished I could hide
From this bitter and strange man.


Duane Locke

Posted over on DeepSouth