Old Man from Tlacochahuaya
His skin
is heavy and thick:
the leathery pelt
of a working animal.
His bare feet
poke from the scratchy
leather of rough-hewn,
home-made sandals
carved from auto tires.
His toenails are iron claws
gripping the earth:
a climber’s spikes.
When I examine them
they seem cut off from the man
as if they protruded
from a bestial hoof.
I imagine him horned,
tailed, and bearded,
leaping in a bright red
devil’s suit
through black smoke
and orange flames.
Water is the bond
that binds the earth’s poor,
so I offer him
water from my bottle.
Then I see him sparkle
and his eyes are as clear
as the water he drinks
from the bottle I gift him.
Brothers across
artificial frontiers
we shake hands,
and now we are one.
Watered,
he is my friend,
my true amigo.
“Where are you going next?” I ask.
“Nowhere,”
he shrugs.
“I am just happy to be here,
squatting in this line of shade
that protects me from the fierce
knife-blade of the sun.”
rogermoorepoet 
I like the narrative take
LikeLiked by 1 person
It certainly changes it, I think for the better. Glad you approve.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for the post it is excellent
LikeLike
Fascinating character, Roger…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Tanya: I rewrote him, or rather, I re-arranged him. I had to Google his town, I had forgotten how to spell it. I may well rewrite this, I am not 100% certain of it yet. That’s life as a writer, I guess.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Always…Lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just replied to the previous commentator in this vein. He had seen the “early” version versus the later one (now up).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Always interesting to compare…
Words are such a journey.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Words are worlds and when we explore each others’ words we explore their worlds as well. “Getting to know you …”
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is wonderful, great characterisation and all achieved with an enviable economy. My latest post also has a devilish character (or two)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was thinking about it while out grocery shopping. Then,when I came home, I reversed the sequence to see what would happen. I’ll keep both and choose one later.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am intirgued
LikeLiked by 1 person
I felt I needed the negative impact of the other followed by the meeting of minds followed by the positive impact of friends via sharing and understanding. For me it is a logical, narrative process. However, it may be simplistic compared to the “mix and match” of the first version. Comments more than welcome …
LikeLiked by 1 person