a criminal eye

I remember,
not too long ago,
just a few yesteryears ago in fact,
I would get on a train, a bus,
I would walk down the street,
go into a store and I was the bad guy
the thieving thief waiting to teef .
one of the sordid sort,
who needed to be watched
someone to be followed,
followed by floor walkers,
who pretended to shop worse than I
(it was fun messin’ with those fuckers).

shit, how times have changed,
back then,
sure I thought about stealin’ shit
and of course now
I see the opportunities, I can’t help it
laptops, iPods, briefcases, backpacks,
shit, so much cash money;
how unawares we people are.

now instead of playing with the floor walkers
I am warning people
of how vulnerable their shit is
how vulnerable they are
lost in their egos
their happiness
their fear
their cell phones
only now,
instead of squinching away from me
they smile and say
‘thank you’
sometimes with their words,
sometimes with their eyes,
sometimes they say it all in
a now knowing smile.

shit how times have changed,
from suspect to saint,
in the blink of an eye.

-2005