Vest Life

How on earth could he have got in this state;
it’s morning and here is horizontal flab
on afternoon pavement slab
big cat with protruding bare belly,
leopard skin printed party cowboy hat
more than askew, next to
a rainbow shaped balloon
plump with helium anchored
around his neck somewhere
minded by a ‘town centre marshall’
equivalent body shape,
at a loss for waiting for
a development, signs of awakening
or ambulance arriving
staring down at a vision of himself,
perhaps, a former self, prostrate
late on a town centre marshall posse night out maybe
or lost, a write off, in an unknown hovel:
am I a witness to a flashback apparition?..
a reflection refracted in reality
of the lesser low vis mortal
before he was living his vest life
before trust training boots backup,
here is the responding ubermench
risen, righteous phoenix
the hero from the husk
of the previous heap he was
before being a trusted high vizzed titan of the town;
the rescued to the rescue,
a fallen pawn
righted with civic purpose