To The Old Man At Paciugo

I misjudged you.
Your shambling unsure gate,
over-sized suit and
inappropriate windbreaker
made me think you were a degenerate-
an inevitable disturbance.
When you shuffled in front of me
for gelato I dreaded the duration
of your no doubt lengthy purchase.
Visions of protracted confusion,
argument and negotiation,
punctuated by incoherent grumbles
blossomed in my fatalistic imagination.
But.
Your ordering was relatively swift
you got one bowl of chocolate chocolate chip,
one bowl of turtle cheesecake,
and paid rather quickly(all things considered).
You exited and handed one treat to an
old woman waiting on a bench outside.
You were on a date
just as I was.
We sat, two couples, one old, one young.
Enjoying a cool treat on a warm evening.
In companionable silence.
I'm sorry I thought your physical frailty
and odd wardrobe
equated to mental instability.
A lesson I will try not to forget.