fat man, on bus (AMERICAN FINANCE)

from the gills of the heart
to the folds of the flesh,
a fat man, falling inward (& yet
you wouldn't know), is a size
too big, too big to flourish, but
too big to fail (naturally) -- i.e.
small enough yet to function
to jettison himself outward; smiling,
this morning, with largesse enough
even for cancer (why not? smoking
kills too, baby) he's just a post-coitus

bleary-eyed stranger with rations
for himself and his neighbors, is
immaculate. a fat man, gotten lucky,
on a bus. smiling all the way home.