RAIMENT*

I know a man

who will scour

sidewalk sales

and Thrift Stores

for the clothes

of dead men.

He’d much rather

walk in their shoes

than buy a new pair

of Hush Puppies.

This is his way

of stepping into

their legacy,

his form of gratitude,

for what came before

while ambling it

further down the road.

*Raiment is an old-fashioned word meaning clothing 

and that appears most notably in the Boy Scouts 

of America’s meal prayer, the Philmont Grace.

For food, for raiment,

For life, for opportunity,

For friendship and fellowship,

We thank Thee, O Lord. Amen.