It was so vivid the way I could see it from where I was seated

He was looking out the window, she was looking down her nose

She sneered at him for that full half hour as he devoured his meal

It’s extra value clearly wasn’t nutritional but traditionally cheap

As the paper bag grew see through from the grease

and you could tell he couldn’t tell you the next time he would eat

She was judging him; he was probably judging the clouds

 and whether or not the weather would favor him or rain down

dropping water from the sky, his ceiling, flooding the street, his floor

but at the moment he was feeling blessed to eat a warm meal in the warmth of that grease pit

A luxury he deserved as much, if not more, than she did

His hair was matted from his tightly fitted knitted cap

And I noticed he had enough manners to place it in his lap

But the woman only sneered as the gears of her mind turned burning her gaze

Setting fire ablaze to the daggers she was shooting his way

It made me sick the way she looked at him

And it made me wonder if she instilled that ignorance inside of that child beside her

An innocent bright eyed boy about four or five

He sat there taking bird bite of his nuggets and playing with his fries

As he mother began picking up the trash and placing what was left is happy meal back into the bag

Grabbing the child by the hand she tried to rush past the vagabond and his synched army sack

She shot him a sneered that said his very being offended her

As the child tugged on her arm, and with an innocent charm said,

“Look mom, he’s an adventurer.”

The child looked at the man like he was a hero just stopping in

For a warm meal and cold drink before the next adventure began

Just then I realized that I was just as bad as her

I didn’t even know the man but I was so sure of his situation

In my minds eye I had no reservation, without knowing I labeled him homeless with no hesitation

It took the innocence of adolescence

To teach a grown man this life lesson and I was taking mental notes

Searing this into memory in hopes I would never forget

Before that moment  I “knew” he was homeless

But now I’m not so sure

In that time and space, the look on that child’s face said so much more

The man wasn’t lost or alone in search of a home

He was brave and bold

He was an adventurer