This poem was inspired by a newspaper photograph.  Miss America contestants posed on the beach preparing for a photo shoot, when policemen discovered a homeless man sleeping beneath an overturned rowboat. 

__________

Rudely awakened

On the verge of daze,

Lined countenance

Questions morning haze.

__________

Counter-image

On the verge of tall,

Outraged eyes

Fueled by human gall.

__________

Eons away

On the verge of bland,

Perfect toes

Sift through shifting sand.

__________

© Barb Mayer 1989