TAZ

He goes by the name
Taz.
Only a few know
his real name -
he wants it that way.
That’s the homeless man,
laying in a tree bed
wearing a coat
too heavy for a warm day
like today…
That’s the homeless man
asleep on a gray November day
on Franklin Street.

That’s the homeless man
who goes by the name
Taz -
decorated Vietnam War Veteran,
trained in our country’s
Special Forces
many, many years ago.

That’ the homeless man
seen on Franklin Street often…
I imagine many
in this town
have seen him
many times
and probably have heard
something about his bravery
many, many years ago
in another life -
I am not sure where
I, myself, heard these things.

That’s the homeless man,
Taz is his name,
alone, asleep
on Franklin Street.

Bruce Whealton
November 13, 2009