First things first—
the part about seeing
a dubious blind beggar in the
crosswalk at the red light,
cardboard sign strapped to him,
babbling and tapping
his cane in defiant cross-
rhythm to the orange flaring
warning of the stale Don't
Walk signal.
Then—the internal part
where you start
to think—how
the kindness
you could afford
to give him (for better
or worse) really
ends nowhere;
but it starts
with no more than
offering a wider berth
than is strictly necessary.
Lastly, the punchline,
the thing
on the sign
that made you feel justified—
All you need
is love? Wrong. Sorry.
Love is extra. Love's
just icing.
If everything's
contextual, then really
all you need's a
little—understanding.
