almost to legend

so many lives have crossed in winter air

and been forgotten by the hurried crowd

each of them wanting more than law allowed

all of those hustlers in the public square

who were exposed to everybody's stare

and promised more than could be disavowed

even by folk who were not then too proud

to go beyond the realm of private care

i chose to climb that hill and take that way

for what i'd read so my part in the tale

though small would follow those with greater feet

whose road was harder and whose promised day

was coming on the back of some old snail

and yet a hero had been on that street