May 12th

"Happy are those
   who do not follow the advice of the wicked

or take the path that sinners tread

   or sit in the seat of scoffers,
but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
   and on his law they meditate day and night." Psalm 1:1-2

standing in line, we

scan the cafe trying

to figure out where 

we might sit . . . 

there's the table full

of conspiracy theorists

always willing to pull

out another chair, or

the late-night hosts 

who use humor to offer

their cruel barbs at others

as celebrities jostle to share

space with them.

then there are the ones

sitting in the so-called  

corner of misfits, 

the knot of non-binary kids

listening to each other's pain,

the lonely widower who tells

of his empty day to the teacher

who wonders if it's time to retire,

the book-clubbers who find

grace and hope in everything they read.

standing in line, we

scan the cafe trying

to figure out where 

we might sit . . . 

(c) 2024 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @Thom-Shuman