(DIS)Respect

This thing called respect
I’ve seen it cause bloodshed
I’ve seen it cause friendships to go like an old Viaduct in the Big One
That fast

I imagine, also, that this thing has probably ignited wars

Then again I’ve seen it cause manhood—and womanhood—
To flower like weeds in the cracks of a forgotten sidewalk
In a nation where war veterans swaddle themselves on corners
And citizens hold their babies away from the begging maws
Or rip their eyes away at the bottom of the onramp

You have to wonder
How many would settle for a glance or a smile or a nod
Which probably has more to do with respect
Than the tinkle of dimes

I remember once, tipsy, on a forgotten sidewalk
A warm tetrazzini in hand
That I offered off what would be my lunch tomorrow
Mistaking magnanimity for respect
And did not take the refusal in stride
When he said he was a vegetarian

That I felt disrespected
Does not define the word
Only its breadth and depth
And the size of the world on one square of concrete

A Trip to the Seattle I Grew Up In to Consider the Purchase of Decidedly Hip Furniture (and there is an essay here--copyright!)

Sí. Seattle Home Company is located in the old Central Loan & Gun Exchange.

Don't act like you don't know, Alex.

Postcard From the Womb

Is this a good or bad sign?