Gene McCormick- Poem & Art

Dead Man Walking

An energetic white Scottie

tugs at his leash as an

elderly man walks him by,

letting the dog stop and sniff.

The man’s younger wife,

fiftyish,

keeps pace beside them.

The man is dressed for the clear,

sunny day: broad brim straw hat,

Bermuda shorts, floppy sandals

and a dark green short sleeve shirt.

The three of them move along

the sidewalk at a brisk pace,

though the man is old.

Does he think of dying?

Old men should not think

of dying on clear, sunny days.

The Scottie hesitates at a

younger man on a park bench.

Want to visit, Murph?

the old man asks his dog,

but Murph pees and moves on.

The man on the bench,

sun on his face

and a dog’s curiosity,

stretches out flat on the bench.

First time he’s ever done that.

He doesn’t see the old man’s wife

look back at him, twice.

Brief Bio: Hawkeye McCormick is always observant of women who look at him, especially twice.  Not that it does him a damn bit of good.