Sunday morning in the park
male pigeons are showing off
pushing the weaker ones aside.
Homeless men sleep on iron benches.
An old woman pushing an empty pram
is a collector of useless things.
A man, behind a tree that shields him from the street,
tensely smokes a cigarette
while worrying about lung cancer
and if the righteous might see him,
smirk at one that can’t quite quit this habit.
A scraggy cur looks at this scene of flawed humanity
but that doesn’t make it into a philosopher.