Sweeping Up
Aug 22 2023
I watch as he sweeps,
a series of short measured thrusts
with the big push broom.
Its stiff bristles
make a pleasing cheuk-cheuk-cheuk
across the small patch of sidewalk
outside his shop.
The door has been unlocked
lights turned on
awning unfurled.
He is neatly dressed,
and wears a newly pressed apron
and soft leather gloves.
He works hard
makes a living
serves.
His small business
supports a family,
loyal customers return.
And now
the proprietor prepares a fitting entrance-way
to welcome them in,
taking custody
of this small public space
and giving to the greater good.
I know that the hipsters
bohemians
and undiscovered artists
– too avant-garde
for the hoi-polloi –
look down on him
if they notice him at all,
sneer
at his bourgeois earnestness.
But I celebrate his diligence,
every day at work
behind that broom
serving the public good,
this small patch of sidewalk
he has taken on himself
to care for and improve.
He stops for a moment,
leaning on the broom
and nodding at his neighbours
on this street of modest shops,
who are also beginning their day
sweeping up
from the night before
and the city after dark.
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