by Georgi Bargamian
It’s hot and tight on Liberty
as our throng shuffles toward Fourth,
cooperation a silent pact.
We make small talk,
apologizing now and then for errant contact, impatient pace.
Closer to Fourth, we hear the music of a pan flute
and see a crowd ringed around
a man dancing in the street close to the sidewalk,
holding his companion’s hands
while guiding her wheelchair in graceful turns.
Moving to the left, then to the right,
they seem unaware of our attention as
delighted witnesses to this unexpected scene,
connected by time and place.
As the music fades and the dance winds down,
we glance at one another
before joining new crowd-flows
without saying good-bye.
A map of Ann Arbor made out of mosaic glass by Erin O’Connor (featured artist in 2024 Ann Arbor Ann Arbor State Street District Art Fair)
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Georgi Bargamian is a writer who lives in Ann Arbor, with past lives as a journalist and attorney. This poem is inspired by the events described, witnessed several years ago at an Ann Arbor Art Fair.
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This is an original poem, brought to you by Poet Tree Town, a Washtenaw-based poetry-in-public initiative and celebration of local poets. Find out more about Poet Tree Town on Instagram and Facebook, or say hello at [email protected].
