AUEH Artist: Dark Side

Superpowers

He said his super power was invisibility

Sitting at the train station

I overheard in a conversation

He was having with himself

And I felt

Kind of bad for eavesdropping

He said the rain is his only shower

And his superpower

Was the funk

It kept people away

Held them at bay

No need to explain

If they won’t even ask

Too afraid to get

Too close to the man

Who smells of nights

Spent laying on sidewalks

In doorways

Too afraid to get

Too close to the man

Who mumbles incoherently

Under his breath

Most times

He said his superpower was

The deafening roar

He would randomly let out

Arms outstretched

Chest bare

Head tilted back

Eyes wide and bugged out

A roar to the sky

To God

Not a question

But an affirmation

“I am here! Forsaken but alive!

RRRRaaaawwwwrrrr!”

He tries to match

The thunderous sound

Of the traffic that

Interrupts his sleep

Under the overpass

That last piece of land

Found unclaimed

Out of the rain

He said his superpower was

X-ray vision

That he could see through

The volunteers at the mission

He said his superpower was

Mindreading

He knew that they were there

So they could feel good

About themselves for

Giving up some time

From their busy schedules

To feed these poor souls

Who needed saving

When all he needed was a hot meal

And to be left alone

These poor souls

Who were sure

That the good

They were doing

That the kindness

They were imbuing

Would get them into Heaven

And I sat there and

Listened

Waiting for the train

That would take me

Home

I stared straight ahead

Not wanting to move

Not wanting to turn up the music

In my ears

He said his superpower was

Heat rays emanating

From his eyes

And it was true

I know this because

When I turned my head

In his direction

His stare made my face flush

It burned away all of the

Aloofness I was pretending

To have as I listened intently

It burned away all of the

Preconceptions I had about

Who he was

His superpower was

Hypnotizing me

Into believing I had

Done no wrong

That a cigarette was all he

Needed or would

Ask for

So I asked for

A moment of his time

In exchange

And as we sat he

Began to change

No longer strange

But interesting

I found out that

He is

Creative

A son of a father

Who did more harm

Than good

The father of a son

Who in order to not do harm to

He did the good thing

Of removing himself

Before the spiral down began

He is a man

Who lost his footing

On the tightrope high-wire act

That life is

He is smart

He is caring

He is funny

He is strong

Turns out he’s no superhero

Nor villain

He’s been just another

Human being

All along…