A Poetry Post

I thought I'd take a break from the usual post for some political poetry.

I Know His Name is Sammy

I saw him as I stepped out of my car at work
He looked like he was down on his luck
I knew that his name was Sammy
I saw that his pockets were empty
I saw that his eyes were empty
I saw that his smile was empty and his teeth were white
“Could you spare Sammy some change?” He asked.
I reached into my pocket, pulled out my wallet
It was empty save the last five dollars I had for food
I thought, “I’ve eaten enough for today.”
I gave it to Sammy who smiled and walked away

The next day I saw Sammy
As I stepped out of my car at work
He still looked down on his luck
I still knew that his name was Sammy
I saw that his pockets were empty
I saw that his eyes were empty
I saw that his smile was empty and his teeth were white
“Could you spare Sammy some more change?” he asked.
I reached into my pocket, pulled out my wallet
It was empty save the last five dollars I had for gas
I thought, “I could get gas on another day.”
I gave it to Sammy who smiled and walked away

The next day I saw Sammy
As I stepped out of my car to go to the store
He was with a friend and they were down on their luck
As they walked by I reached in my pocket
I pulled out my wallet
It was empty save two five dollar bills to buy my daughter a book
Without hesitation, I pulled one of the bills out to hand to Sammy
He asked, “What else is in that wallet?”
I froze
I saw that their pockets were empty
I saw their eyes were empty
I saw that their smiles were empty and their teeth were white
Then I knew that they were both named Sammy
So I put the money back in my wallet and walked away

I still see Sammy
When I step out of my car
His pockets are still empty
His eyes are still empty
His smile is still empty and his teeth are still white