Beneath the Corona

Midday the sun's corona shines
on the rich and the poor
Beneath its blaze a jet
flies south banks east
homeward or away
from its comfort

On the ground
a well-dressed woman walks
while chatting with a ragged
homeless man
They sit on a bench inside
a lighting distributor's fence

I check my wallet
already knowing I only have two dollar
bills inside
He needs them more than I do
as I'm on my way to the bank

Impatient for the bus
I choose a favorite song on the iPod
and sing as I walk to the next stop
I'm on my way to get the rent money

On the bus I wonder
if there's a difference
between this man and I
He has no home
I will hand over all but thirty-five
dollars of the deposit I just received
to keep a roof over my head

Yeah, we're both kind of broke