this old man walked up to me
upon exiting the restroom
at the entrance of a clinic
and asked me if i’d read
the wealth of nations
by adam smith
–
i responded i had not
as he seized the reigns of the conversation
guiding us
on a torrential path
careening
headlong
into the rocks
–
he said that free trade
was the worst sin ever committed
and cursed the chinese
calling them dirty
nasty people
that ate bats
–
he kept at this tangent
obsessively dissecting the dietary habits
of people he’d never met
holding his own
unseemly customs
in the highest regards
–
he seemed to be anchoring
his casual bigotry
upon presumed economic principals
in an attempt to detract
from his biting words
and hateful disposition
towards our neighbors
in the east
–
as another patient entreated upon the premises
he grew more listless
his words quieter
and less frequent
and he backed slowly
towards the automatic door
exiting to the parking lot
–
sometimes
animals
are merely feigning death