The Walk Home

It's not exactly a trot but it's definitely an affected gait. He steps purposefully with his toe down first, like a young colt or Great Dane Puppy. His rhythm is erratic, as if he's marking time to an off kilter metronome. A slight shift to the left with his head and his arms raise to hip level. A hop skip step to his right and a two-bob head shake. Then he pulls his chin to the sky, jerking twice then flicks back down, pulling on imaginary reins and resets his positioning. He carries a plastic shopping bag filled with dollar store purchases on his way to who knows where. Yet he walks with purpose; there is hesitation and peculiarity to his movement but no aimless wandering. A palsy or perhaps just different motor neuron pathways firing. A super secret connection of pulses and synapses speaking a foreign language. Beautifully complex and terrifically inefficient. There is nothing to do but give way and regard.