The smiling six year old

is now a smiling man

with the same poetic impulse

to spell out cascading thoughts

with the keys

of a machine on the move.

A haphazard sign beckons

to the curious

who wonder at this “poet on demand”

eager to please the passer by.

Life’s nuances have brought him

to Royal Street with

an age old pride

in his creative genius.

And the poems flow

as people come and go

patiently pausing

to admire his art form.

Eric is one of a kind

lost in the poetry of life

lingering lovingly

in a mind sharp and smart

using two fingers to

paint a picture with words

as he rolls down

a sunny street

in New Orleans.