The humped men,
The humped and ragged men,
Are always with us.
Rain brings them
Plastic bags and found ponchos
Heat grates and church portals.
Time brings disintegration
Of old coats, sweaters and blankets
Felted together as padded armor.
They barely move,
But shuffle, with their layers fused to their skin,
And never far from their watch posts.
Slitted eyes under knitted hats
May seem drowsy or dazed,
But they are seeing between the lines.
They are our Deuteronomies,
Always watching, humped and ragged,
From their corners of our lives.
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