We Are All Diminished

WE ARE ALL DIMINISHED

As the train pulls out
of Union Square, I see a thin
woman with torn sneakers,
standing in the center
of the car, holding tight
as the train lurches side to side.
She pleads in a loud voice,
"I've got children at home,
need to feed them.
Please help. A quarter,
a dime, a dollar, anything will
help." The only sound
is the rumbling of the train
through the tunnels
and the tinny beat
of music from a teenager's
ear phones. No one speaks;
no one donates;
we look at our feet.
The woman walks
through the car.
I avert my eyes.

Adam D Fisher
Stony Brook, NY
Amer. Jewish World Service