The Winter Man
I wrote this short story the morning after a night spent filming a nor'easter (and getting my truck stuck and subsequently un-stuck five different times in the process). I wanted something to match the tone of the short video I was making, and this is what I came up with. I've received some encouraging feedback on the story from those who have watched the video, and figured I should post the text here for anyone interested. Oh, and if you haven't seen the video yet-- check it out below!
The Winter Man
I once met a man
On a last winter’s night
He had leathered skin
And one eye that pierced like a january gale
His heart was cold
It had long since frozen over
He contained a quiet rage
But deep down
I knew there was nothing quiet about it
He hadn’t been given a fair shake
Not in this life at least
He told me, “you gotta live hard”
As the wind whipped around him
Circumstance brought us together
But why without shelter?
Do you have a place to go?
I asked, as snow drove into my face
He replied, “We all do, I hope”
I didn’t expect such optimistic words from a man
that society had long since forgot about
He wasn’t a bum though, he told me, appearances aside
A traveling man, he said, when I inquired about occupation
The wind and the snow and the teenage temperature
Didn’t seem to disturb this stoic of the road
I couldn’t understand him well, but I’m not sure that was his aim
I felt sorry for him, but he knew that look all too well
“My pa and the war did me wrong,” he replied to my gaze
“But the road never has, not once.”
“It’s a cruel bitch, but a fair one,” he went on
“Driving snow, falling rain, hot sun, or scorching asphalt…
The road treats you the same as it treats me.”
It was at that time that my Uber arrived
I felt ashamed to get in, given the circumstances
But the look from his one eye, and the smirk on his face
Told me he felt sorrier for me, than I did for him.
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:
