The Sad Man

I take my hat off to him
the sad man
of the leafy suburbs
always smartly dressed
dapper
old-fashioned smart
carrying
all our problems
with all his grief
on pinstriped shoulders.
We all took our hats off to him
that sad man,
as we played in the streets
as we grew older
as we changed
while he stayed the same
still
carrying
all those problems
all that grief
that we never understood.