THE BEAUTY WE DON’T SEE
Followed by pigeons
And an untamable stench
A man closes fingers around a newly found meal
His bloodshot eyes watch the streets
His white beard floats
As the cold approaches
He huddles within the confinement
Of a worn black coat
Sitting on stone steps
Covered with blankets and shirts
Two companions beg
For the occasional penny
From a passerby
And clutch at a self-made sign
Beneath bridges
The wheels of carts screech
The men and women talk
They are grateful
One puts an arm around another
One hands another
His worn black coat
—from 2016 Rattle Young Poets Anthology
__________
Why do you like to write poetry?
Clay Mills: “Poetry is a way to convey many messages with the same lines. It gives me a more abstract way to express the way I see the world and interpret it. When I write poetry, I am able to express myself in a way that only poetry allows me to. While writing poetry, I feel I can do anything.”
