Picture
Caption: No Bread
For Bread rAveNswAn
Picture
Caption: This is a story
Of the tightrope
Humans should walk...
The fine line
Between right and wrong
Balanced by
Heart and mind rAveNswAn
Caption: The store has eyes
The store can see
And it’s my job to monitor
The sights it shares with me
Loss prevention my focus,
My job, store security
Picture
Caption: "The store has eyes...
The store can see."
Caption: And the store
It opens its eyes to me
It lets me take a look
It let me see the loaf of bread
The hungry young man took
But this man
He was no common thief
He had no job,
No money, no food
In my observation,
It is my belief
A desperate man did
What he felt he had to do
Picture
Caption: I saw him when he first came in
His resume in hand
To apply for all the openings
The store simply did not have
Then wandered aisle to aisle
Contemplating all awhile
Yet, when upon other customers,
Offered “Hello,” and with a smile
Picture
Caption: But then…
I saw the strangest thing
The man began to work
To straighten, to clean
To do the things
He could not be hired for
Picture
Picture
Caption: He knew he needed food
He knew he needed to pay for it
He knew he had
No bread for bread
So he knew he’d need to earn it
Picture
Caption: "No bread for bread."
Caption: I watched him over the hour
I calculated in my head
He’d done more than enough work
For the store
To earn a loaf of bread
Caption: He followed behind a spoiled brat
Who threw stuff on the floor
But not so close
The brat could see
Him cleaning up the store.
Picture
Caption: "He cleaned a spill
Re-stacked some cans" rAveNswAn
Caption: He stacked empty baskets
Collected empty carts
And then, went back for more
He cleaned a spill
Re-stacked some cans
He did all of this the hour before
Still...
He hung his head, ashamed
As he stashed the bread
Then headed out the door
Picture
Caption: "As he stashed the bread..."
Caption: I stopped him, though,
I had to,
I had to do my job.
I don’t get to stretch firm lines
Between what you must pay for,
Or, if from the store,
You should decide to rob.
Caption: Warning given,
Bread now in hand
I have a heart though,
And my own plan
From my pocket, a five,
It is all I’ve got
I lied, said he dropped it
Crossing the lot
But, even in his plight
Again, he fought
To do right
And told me he had not
Picture
Caption: "I have a heart though,
And my own plan..."
Picture
Caption: “You’ve earned it though.”
I said to the man...
Told him all that I had seen.
“So go in there,
And buy the bread,
And keep your record clean."
Picture
Caption: “So go in there,
And buy the bread,
And keep
Your record clean."
Picture
Caption: #nobreadforbread
#inthewindthesewords
#birdsonawire
#ravenswan
#RonASwan
#poetry
rAveNswAn