the stranger

the man did not pray
he did not genuflect before he sat down
he did not remove his hat
his eyes did not close for a moment
he watched Cara.
She went through each sorrowful mystery slowly,
praying for her estranged father,
for her hard working mother,
for her best friend Isabel who was still in Mississippi,
finally,
as she meditated on the wounds of Jesus,
she prayed for herself..
for guidance in finding her father,
it had been two years since she saw him or spoke to him,
now she was alone in a city of strangeness..
only her faith, her prayers, the Eucharist,
these were the things that gave her strength and hope..
she finished the prayer, crossed herself, stood..
there were three teenagers a few feet away to her left kneeling,
she was glad to see them here..
then she noticed the man..
his head was down and the bill of his hat hid his eyes.
she realized he was the man on the street..

wkm
Nashville