From a distance, the well-dressed
Man approaching was an unknown—
As he came closer, I couldn’t believe he was
That shepherd in galoshes I saw
Each morning hard at work at his stable,
Up to his knees in mud and manure.
Holy shit—this man now walking
The streets looked so unbelievably
Clean-cut and innocent he looked
Just like one of us,
A sheep in wolves’ clothing.
This reminds me of the first time I ever met one of my teachers in the real world surrounded by a nagging wife and a pair of screaming kids. The look of his face! As if I’d caught him doing something underhand. Forty years later I can still remember the encounter and for a guy who can’t remember last week that well that’s saying something.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Jim—seeing familiar people conducting themselves in an unfamiliar manner because of a change in what we believe is their “usual” environment is certainly eye-opening; in your case, it remains indelibly stamped in your memory.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the little tale.