He may be asking for money
with his hand out or his cardboard sign
Or maybe he’s sitting on the curb staring
or talking to someone you can’t see
ranting or mumbling
This is something you do not want to deal with
Your brain comes up with a plan
Speed up,
feint to the left
focus on the ground
Even though It might not feel right or good
Your strategy seems to work
Sadly, no matter how hard you pretend to the contrary
That person
is there
real
not a ghost or an urban myth
This is not a game
And that person can see you
