The Old Oak Tree

I'm feeling a little sad today, you see there is this homeless man that asks for change and he stands on the corner across from my work. Since we moved to this office he's been there. In the same way the a 400 year old oak tree is always in the same spot when you walk by, he is just a subconcious expectation. A comfort. A sign that I'm only thirty steps from my elevator. He always sat in the exact same spot, facing the exact same direction, holding the exact same hat, smelling the exact same smell, and smiling the exact same smile.

He's been gone for almost two weeks and I can't get it out of my mind. Every morning it upsets me a little, i wonder where he is or what has happened. It's funny how I never paid much attention to him - having both a personal policy on handing cash to the needy, and a fundamental lack of spare change - but I really did notice when he was gone. He wasn't a part of my life in the sense that he had a lot of affect on it, but over the last few months, he had quietly taken a subtle, yet constant role in my life as a comforting everyday occurance. And now, he's gone.

I wonder if one day he will return or if one day I will forget he was ever there.