On a dead, dead night

Amongst the soulless ghosts

Two men waited for the bus in the cold lamplight

Both wearing heavy winter coats

The first coat was of fine make

Of a trim envious and superb

Some would call it the skin of a snake

Meant to turn away and perturb

The second was patchy at best

At worst it was a mere throw rug

Threadbare upon the breast

And so stretched it was no longer snug

Neither was dumb

Both knew who the other was

The first could recognize a bum

The second saw only leery lawyer-wolf jaws

These two coats were very different people

And these two people very different coats

The first looked at the second

The second at the first

Both smiled

Both wished the other a good day

Both were tired

Both unaware of the impending fray

For on the streets of Detroit

The coats were seen as susceptible

As things to exploit

To mug and kill was acceptable

The second asked the first:

Cold are ya’?

The first told the second:

No. I’ve got my coat right here.

The second continued:

Well that’s fine and dandy. Seems like a sturdy thing.

The first answered:

Oh yes. Got it just last spring.

Suddenly

BOOM!

CRACK!

POW!

Detroit struck with all her fury

The first of the coats black with blood

Down to the ground in a hurry

And it was such a sight, the red flood

The second stood in awe as the wallet walked away

He sputtered and gasped as a man died

It was the end of the day

And the lawyer had lost his hide

Yes, the thieves had taken the coat as well

They stripped it for its worth

The bum wondered if they’d burn in Hell

Or if they’d pass now with a bank account twice its normal girth

But in that moment’s fraction

It was neither fight nor flight

But from the second coat there was action

To protect its companion from the cold night

The first asked:

But why?

The second replied:

Cold, aren’t ya?

The first:

Yes, I’ve lost my coat.

The second:

That’s why you have mine

No longer a dead night

No more soulless ghosts

But two men still under that lamplight

And now one heavy winter coat