“Requiem for a Nobody” by Sally Zakariya, a poem from her book, The Unknowable Mystery of Other People, released in March, 2019 by The Poetry Box, has been nominated for The Pushcart Prize.
Please enjoy the poem, and feel free to leave a comment.
“Requiem for a Nobody”
Unknown, unsung, no obituary
to spell out the bare facts of his life,
just one of the many to perish alone
on the street, hand still outstretched
for help that would not come.
Lord have mercy on his soul,
his nameless soul.
Death knew his name, called him by it,
called him from an indifferent world
where he slipped by mostly unseen,
wrapped in a tattered gray blanket.
Death found him where he waited,
cheeks fallen in, eyes dimmed,
invisible to people bustling by.
Once someone tied his shoes, held
his hand, kissed his baby cheek,
but there will be no Pieta for him.
Lord have mercy on our souls,
our oblivious souls.
