NEWS
A Charlotte Sonnet
Riding the Charlotte Transit
an elderly black man sat across the isle.
He reached out to hand me a large ring
studded with crystal chips - a beautiful thing.
He said his grandson won it for
Flag Football and had gifted it to him.
Touched, I admired it and handed it back.
We talked some about both
being disabled veterans and
having families we’re proud of.
When he stepped off he said,
“be safe.”
I wished him the same,
“be safe.”
Joe Shea
Joe Shea (Grampa Joe) graduated from East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania High School in 1953 and West Point in 1959. After a short military career, he enjoyed a business career, retiring in 1995. He has three children and five grandchildren. He has been writing poetry since 2012. His work has appeared in Better Living, Narrative Northeast and The North Carolina Literary Review. He has resided in Davidson since 2021.