friction

well water rinses soil
from workday skin
homebound we ride together
in trucks in cars on buses

we wind blue collar bodies
away from steering wheels
passenger seats
street signs on the corner

stride through broken doorways
towards clamoring children
with crayoned paper in hand

already thinking about the crunch
of work boots on gravel
before sunrise in the morning

(This poem was a winner in the Shared Spaces / Shared Voices public art project.)