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…