Shabby Man

A man in shabby clothes
Plays the guitar beautifully
On the streets of Oxford
Was he a somebody once
Or a nobody?
Intelligentsia Derelictus?
A good man made bad?
A bad man made good
On the streets of Oxford?
A lost talent?
A genie in disguise?
A circus escapee
On the run
From everyone?
A hobo? A joke?
A serious politician
Or just another man?

A man in shabby clothes
Plays a twelve-string beautifully
On the streets of Oxford
While beautiful men in suits look on
Adjusting their ties
Dusting their shabby souls.