A Decent Man Poem by RIC BASTASA

a decent man comes out
from a room: black shiny coat
red tie, a diamond pin, a white polo shirt

a well cut hair a la james bond
eyes covered with a reading glass

you get the impression that he is well-read
and trained to the gentleness of a well-bred
progeny, he is cool and calm and
always gives you the sense of
a deep listener
his wisdom flows from his
attentive eyes
keen and ponderous

you think he has no capacity for
sin or mischief
you feel that he is elevated from
the rest of us

but that is not exactly true.

one night, a cold air blows from
the sea and feels his room with
quivers. He has entertained thoughts
about the woman in Bahamas.
Or the girl from Ipanema.
He rings the phone asking for
the name of a woman. Cathy.
He needs a night. He is hot
as a cinder, as an iron rod
red as flame.

and then the woman comes
barely dressed and well scented
luscious lips and abundant bosom.
soft hair and sleepy eyes.

he opens the door and she closes it.
he asks her to undress and dance
before him. and they made love
in front of the mirror by the wall.

the man has assumed the shadow
of a mad dog as he makes
the push and pull until he is
through. At that moment the decent
man has become a mad dog just like
any mad dog with saliva flowing
along the streets of the slums.

for in truth, a decent man is as decent
only as he is dressed under the sun.
As soon as he gets naked inside his room,
this decent man faces the truth of his being.
in the secret of a moonlit night,
the shadow of the decent man
is just this dog, and nothing more.