(Psychological Conflict: Trust vs. Mistrust)
At the bus stop a woman digs into the trash,
searching for satisfaction
for a need that mother America has failed to meet.
She picks up and tosses aside
until her thin fingers fall
upon a box of abandoned french fries.
My mom offers the extra meal
that the McDonald’s man had slipped inside her bag.
The woman takes the burger
to examine it with her nose-
Is it 100% beef? she asks.
Excuse me? my mom responds.
Is it 100% beef? the woman repeats-
the burger still at her nose.
My mom speculates, Yes …
before returning to the blue bench
from where she glares,
at the lady nibbling in the August sun.