The Megaphone Man
by Kathleen Paul-Flanagan
previously published in Nerve Cowboy
He stands on the corner
of Midway Road
and US Route One,
a megaphone in one hand
and a Bible missing the cover
in the other.
His clothes seem muted,
it took me a few minutes
to realize it was dirt
covering him and
making him colorless.
He spouts chapter and verse
and damnation and hellfire,
pointing at drivers
and passengers,
as he twitches with faith.
Once he sang Amazing Grace
in a raspy quivering voice
and I almost cried.
People sometimes yell
back at him
or give him the finger.
I just watch and
open my window
and listen to him.
Everybody knows him
or thinks they do.
Someone told me
he's homeless.
Someone else said
he lives in the trailer park
right near that corner.
All agree he's crazy.
I'm not sure.
Whoever he is,
with his dirty clothes
and his mystery self,
I see a dancing light
in his blue eyes.
And I have to love him
and respect him.
I'm almost jealous
because he believes
and it shows.
And I don't know
what I believe
anymore.