Leah Armstead

Welsh Man Singing Alone in Town

Is he crazy?
Even in the Land of Song
no one sings like this.

There's a time for it.

A pack of young drunks
might bellow a tune,
chantlike, late at night
after drinking is done.

And you can sing
sometimes in groups---
at a sports match, rave,
church, in choir.
We sing in public
when others do,
when it's the thing
to do.

Sure, sing in the shower,
or in cars,
or in the privacy
of your own home.

But this man is singing
in broad daylight
as he walks alone in town
and we're shopping.

We stare--- or ignore him
pointedly.
Anything could happen.
He could have a gun.
A man is walking in a crowd singing.
A man is singing in public. Alone.
A man is singing.

Leah Armstead © 2008