He was a really big guy,
he couldn't fit on the cots,
so he laid on a flattened cardboard box.

On the concrete floor.

I saw him Saturday night,
sleeping in a corner away
from the others.

I failed to reach him that night.

.. . ... . ..

Sunday morning,
I went straight to the fourth floor corner,
and found him sitting on a couple of chairs.

Overlooking the dome
and the chaotic thousands below on cots.

When I walked up to him,
I got a sense of smell
that nearly knocked me down.

Shit and urine.

I stood beside him..

"You doing ok?"

He slowly looked in my direction,
but not at me.
And shook his head no.

.. . ... . ..

I got so used to people
smiling and saying that they were alright,
that I wanted someone to tell me they weren't ok,
just so I could help..

So I could feel like I made a difference.

But I quickly found out
that wasn't what I wanted at all.

.. . ... . ..

I didn't know what to say.
I stood beside him.
I knew he wasn't alright.

How could he be.

I stood there and overlooked the floor of the dome.

It seemed like an eternity..
I lost my sense of smell.
And all that came forth was a burning guilty hole,
forth from my abdomen to my throat.

A few seconds passed.

".. Can I get you anything?"

He looked the other direction,
".. I'm thirsty."

His voice was ragged and dry.

I stood there dumbfounded for half a second,
wondering if I should tell him
that I'll be right back.

.. . ... . ..

I darted off down the floor hall,
looking for an ice chest..
a cooler..
something.

For some reason,
I felt that if I didn't get him water
.right.
away,
that I would lose him.

.. . ... . ..

He was lost when I came back,
i touched his shoulder,
and he looked at my hand.

Not in the sense of why I was touching him..
more like he was surprised that I did.

He took a sip,
and another second-eternity passed.

We both stared blankly over the balcony..

The tension raised...

"Are you doing ok?"

In that instant,
we both fell apart.

I fell to his feet,
and he fell to mine.

Tears streamed down his face
before I could even catch my breath.

And I lost it.

I just fucking lost it.

Something inside of me just snapped,
and the flood gates opened.

I sobbed with him..

It was so dramatic,
and so hateful the way i said it.

I was so fucking angry.

But he knew that.

"I'm. going. to. get. you. a. crisis. counselor.
And. I'm. going. to. get. you. some. help.
I'll be right back,"

Sobbing. Angry. Hurt.

But not incoherant.

He understood every word.

.. . ... . ..

I ran down four flights of stairs,
grabbed a person with a Red Cross vest on.

By then, I was stabilized.

"Look. There is a man, that needs medical treatment.
He needs a counselor.
And he needs a mattress.
And he needs it n.o.w."

He nodded, nonchallantly..

"I'll get someone to him."

And he walked off.

Without even asking where he was.

I suppose he was going to just find this one man
in this crowd of 18,000.

The pity became anger again,
and I scanned faces in the medical area
for the nicest one.

I found a little old lady,
a nurse from Methodist Hopsital..

Within minutes we were back at Greg's area,
a nurse.
a wheelchair.
an emt.
myself.
and two crisis counselors.

I walked up to him first
and told him what was going on.

He never smiled at me with his mouth,
but his eyes were enough.

I leaned back
and cowered into the corner,
and watched them do their job.

.. . ... . ..

I walked to an abandoned stairwell,
and managed to dial an Angel up.

He listened through my sobs,
and calmed me.

Hushed me,
and comforted me.

From a million miles away,
he placed me back on my balance beam.

Steadied my foot.

From a million miles away,
now I thank you.

Thank you.








Thank you, Adonis.

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