by Andrew Taylor-Troutman

Because you are lukewarm, I am about to spit you out of my mouth… Revelation 3:16

My friend, who stands on the corner,
says there is one particular driver,
who will purposely make a U-turn
just to circle back and yell, “You bum!”

My friend wonders if that person,
obviously mean-spirited,
might one day be more likely to help him
than the dozens of polite drivers,

who keep their windows up,
then quietly drive off,
as if they didn’t see him,
as if he didn’t even… exist.

Andrew Taylor-Troutman is the author of Gently Between the Words: Essays and Poems. He is the pastor and head of staff at Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church in North Carolina. These poems were originally written for Sunday worship services.