Channeling

Somewhere in East St. Louis

an old man walks

with no concern for
where he is going for he is going
nowhere. He walks

with no concern for his
fellow man for
this man has no fellows.

He walks
past buildings and houses and stores which
remind him of a distant past and

he could swear

that his old pal Bill
used to live right here
right here in this house

in this

broken down falling down
old house.

People shove by him and he wonders
where they are going
in such a hurry.

The streets scare him
the noise and movement and
the feeling that he’s missing

something scares him.

He walks
faster now hoping to get away
away from the sirens, away from the blank
stares on blank faces

he walks towards

something familiar
something he knows but

he just can’t remember where
he is going.