Destitute

 

From inside the bus and through a glass bus shelter

I saw a man sitting on the flagged pavement

leaning and slouched against a grey wall

Before him lay a rucksack and a hand of bananas

most were green, freshly taken from a nearby plantation

He wore a hat which concealed his forehead

his clothes were worn with age and stained

He was barefoot, eating the crust of a loaf

He held my attention

As he stood up I saw a man in his late thirties 

a handsome face with intelligent features

He was dishevelled, destitute and impoverished

he moved towards a waste bin where he foraged for food

What had brought him to this state

I had no idea other than what I could see

a lost and dejected soul

and it could have been me