An Old Man in Tampa

Creative Forums Creative Writing
1

I imagine the old man
as having had a thriving business
back in Havana,
in its prime,
many, many years ago.
Before it was taken.
Yes. Something like that, I would
imagine.
Maybe a nightclub.
He probably had a beautiful wife,
and a son or a daughter, or both.
And a perfect life.
Before everything changed.

He’s sitting alone
on a bench,
on the channel,
in a straw fedora,
sipping his Cuban coffee,
looking out through old eyes,
at the spot where
his fishing line breaks the water.

I imagine the old man
as having
quite a story he’d probably share.
If somebody asked.

.

2

An interesting one. Truth be told, when I opened it I was expecting a limerick!

There was an old man down in Tampa,
Who painted his name on his camper.
No one could tell
What the words ought to spell,
So he wrote it again in [size=92]X-SAMPA[/size].

3

I like this one. I find myself doing that all the time–imagining stories about people I don’t know, especially those who have lived in a time so different from mine. Sometimes it’s more fun to keep the fantasy than to know the real story.

4

Thanks Butterfly.

Thanks CS.