Her People

Her People

The eyes

dark, sunken

the leg in a brace aluminum

hinges

soiled Velcro straps

She's crying out loud in front of

Wal-mart

her purse in the street

open

cars swerving to miss it

In the van with the chair lift

a woman is motioning

Her people, I think

and I retrieve the purse

carry it to her

Her eyes flash once

as she grabs

for what is hers

As she snatches the strap from my

hand, I'm saying

It's alright

they're waiting just over

there

but she raises her fist

brings it down

into her own

chest

No, no

and she drags the braced leg

around me toward the van

The van door slides open and they

are yelling at her

and she is crying again

and she crawls in

among them,

her people