It was only a man
Walking a dog
Down the alley at 7am
But that’s not what I saw—
Instead of a preoccupied looking
Citizen with a happy black lab
It was an army on a march
To destiny
Against unseen foes;
Slaves in their hour
Of emancipation
And the Free World
Leading legions of oppressed nations
To Freedom
But in an instant
They were gone;
My emblem of classic conflict
Signs of a new age coming on
And I’m left at the wheel
Shifting gears
And waiting
For another symbol
To fill the void.

The decisions you make
Will not influence the day;
The color of blue sky
The disposition of mountains
Or glaciers melting to the sea
Or the weeks or the month
Or the years unfolding—
Not the tightness
Of a well made bed
A prayer that may
Or may not have been said
The coffee type you order
Or whether sugar or cream
Are dutifully mixed in
The outcome of planets
And wars and elections
And political landscapes
Of shining cities and their
Encircling slums
Will depend on something other—
Not the judicious, full stop
At the STOP sign
Not saying “HI” to passersby
And meaning it–
Not the phone calls or letters
Or every good intention
But all of those
Might help.