No clear origin,
No obvious direction.
Thick-thighed, big-bellied,
Heavy buttocked, hairy,
Squat, a working man,
Head set directly into chest,
Upright. Upright looking
Skyward, looking earthward,
Averting eyes, looking deeply
Into eyes, burning to look
Deeply, to reach out to you
In the pride of his youth.

Upright. Arms uncomfortable
At his sides, gesturing,
Grunting out of a cave,
Ice-driven into shelter,
Planting the alluvial plains,
Words in his mouth, desirous
Of love.
Desirous
Of knowledge, knowing
Nothing of himself, or next
To nothing, some damned
To wander in search, damned
To knowledge of his wandering,
No clear origin, no obvious
Direction, a book of myths
And laws, a flood,
A kingdom, a flood,
Bound up and freed
And bound again, walking,
Feet planted in fear, planting

Nothing, facing murder.
Talking.
Eating. Eating well.
Eating with his eyes
Over his shoulder, taking
Shelter in cities, no
Clear origin, no obvious
Direction, lover
Of women, lover
Of children, deserter
Of both, bound up
And freed and bound again,
Walking, arms uncomfortable
At his sides, feet
Planted in fear, planting

Nothing, facing murder,
In a country
Of murderers,
I reach out to you,
I'm the man you just passed,
There were words in my mouth.