yonge street

i walked down the street today,
a street traversed many times without thought.

i watched as the street basked in the afternoon glow
of a sun
starting to hide behind the clouds.

i walked down the street today.
i watched people pass me by
the old lady carrying her bag of groceries
a man walking a big gray dog
the couple holding hands
(i wonder how she hooked him)
a group of tourists, young
walking into a souvenir store.

i walked down the street today.
i looked into store windows
little shops of clothes and shoes
dollar stores smelling of dust and must
i watched as people of all colors
(some chinese, some indian)
looked for their future in this place.

i walked down the street today.
i watched people pass me by
and wondered, which one of them was like me.

i watched people laugh, talk,
go about their daily lives,
walking past without a thought.
their time seemed infinite.
and i think,
maybe none of them are like me.

i walked down the street today
like i had done countless times.

i walked down the street today
except today felt like goodbye.