Forgiveness- Morton Marcus

I heard the man
before I saw him.
He was kneeling
in an alley
off Broadway
and 45th street
one summer night,
rocking back and
forth, muttering,
"Forgive me!
Forgive me!"
At first, I thought
he was bending
over a dog, then
I thought, no, his grief
is to great: it
must be a child,
and I hurried to help.
There was no dog,
no child. The man
was bending
over his shadow,
pleading with it,
"Forgive me!
Forgive me!"
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