FABRIC COCOON

by Dee Allen

It was his
Only insurance policy,
Sole defence against
December’s icy embrace.
Dependable, protective
Blanket, machine-stitched
Fabric, stuffed with
Tufts of cotton spun
In the same factory,
Carried around
This merciless town
Gentrifying by the bay.
Owner of nothing else.
In his urgent
Search for shelter,
He came up empty.
A lonesome
Stray dog
Never followed him
The way Failure did.
The man
Everyone despises
And mocks
For his destitution
Finally slept off
One night’s worth
Of foot-sore
Fatigue over a circular
Iron grating embedded
In the sidewalk.
His blanket formed
A fabric cocoon,
From ankle to
Cloaked head, his
Sneakered feet exposed,
The wintry air,
Repulsed passers-by
Shut out.
The steam ascending
From the grates
From the underground
Gives extra warmth
To the wrapped man
Like a lover
Enfolding her arms
Around her partner
Sharing their heat
A love supreme
Never losing avowed
Hold of him—–