MORE THAN TALENT

I witnessed a genius
Worn shoes dirty coat
Hair unkempt and long
A battered old cloak.

Behind an old desk
Ink and nicotined stained
Bottle ringed and silent
With poverty shamed.

Thin, long, hungry fingers
Move with fluidity and haste
Cigarette held in dry lips
The burning to taste.

A seamless sky burns
In a dark night to slay
Nearby church bells ring
As people kneel to pray.