At a Roadside Table

By Alda L. Brown

They came

grimy, hungry, worn—

shedding work gloves, hard hats,

orange vests—and dropped down heavily

at a near-by table.

With surprising neatness

they unloaded black

lunch buckets, carefully spreading

napkins and placing food in

precise eating order.

Then, as if by one accord,

heads lifted, all eyes met …

heads bowed …

and while traffic roared relentlessly by,

one offered a sincere and prolonged

word of prayer—thanking the Lord

for all blessings of the day

and for food prepared by loving hands.

I, who until then, had looked on

in silent amusement

suddenly felt a tightening

in my throat and a wetness

on my cheeks.