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Heavy Winter Coats
On a dead, dead night
Amongst the soulless ghosts
Two men waited for the bus in the cold lamplight
Both wearing heavy winter coats
The first coat was of fine make
Of a trim envious and superb
Some would call it the skin of a snake
Meant to turn away and perturb
The second was patchy at best
At worst it was a mere throw rug
Threadbare upon the breast
And so stretched it was no longer snug
Neither was dumb
Both knew who the other was
The first could recognize a bum
The second saw only leery lawyer-wolf jaws
These two coats were very different people
And these two people very different coats
The first looked at the second
The second at the first
Both smiled
Both wished the other a good day
Both were tired
Both unaware of the impending fray
For on the streets of Detroit
The coats were seen as susceptible
As things to exploit
To mug and kill was acceptable
The second asked the first:
Cold are ya’?
The first told the second:
No. I’ve got my coat right here.
The second continued:
Well that’s fine and dandy. Seems like a sturdy thing.
The first answered:
Oh yes. Got it just last spring.
Suddenly
BOOM!
CRACK!
POW!
Detroit struck with all her fury
The first of the coats black with blood
Down to the ground in a hurry
And it was such a sight, the red flood
The second stood in awe as the wallet walked away
He sputtered and gasped as a man died
It was the end of the day
And the lawyer had lost his hide
Yes, the thieves had taken the coat as well
They stripped it for its worth
The bum wondered if they’d burn in Hell
Or if they’d pass now with a bank account twice its normal girth
But in that moment’s fraction
It was neither fight nor flight
But from the second coat there was action
To protect its companion from the cold night
The first asked:
But why?
The second replied:
Cold, aren’t ya?
The first:
Yes, I’ve lost my coat.
The second:
That’s why you have mine
No longer a dead night
No more soulless ghosts
But two men still under that lamplight
And now one heavy winter coat
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Can’t say for sure what inspired this one, but I thought it had a nice ring and a nice message. Enjoy!