He is an old man
lonely and gone
Opening his store
on the morning's day
Walking through
junk
of broken chairs
piled sideways
on broken tables
with rust
torn cartons
soiled papers
old appliances
half-falling
half-caught
by ropes of
shredded wires
As he edges
through the crowd
of ill-kept
things
Suddenly
he comes
to a curtain
goes under and up
facing the public
on Commercial Street
as a determined man
seriously serving seltzer
mixed with chocolate syrup