"Angie" (National Poetry Month poem-a-day) Day 24

Written by Bruce A. Pandolfo
4/24/2017
Adam went to Philly to play soccer as a pro,
on off-time he'd wander, by overpasses he'd roam
Oft times he'd chat with folks who hadn't had a home
He'd make sandwiches he'd dole out to those he'd get to know

Met a guy Red Colt, professorial, eloquent,
shopping cart of bags, silver tongue of etiquette
Red Colt's girl Angie started up with the expletives
then to Adam's shock, Red Colt up and defended him!

Adam frequented the benches and the bridges,
He'd come to love Red Colt and his ornery missus,
He wished he could help the folks others dismissed
then in March both the vagrants vacated...went missing!

Around July 4th, Homicide Detective Mangold
Discovers a body by the river horrifically mangled
Someone dismantled it to pieces and bagged those,
Hung them from branches an immobile-mobile dangled.

The swamped department couldn't identify the body,
Mangold solves everything, but probably not this homi'
On his desk there's Adam's name and number written,
Adam claims some “Angie” character may just be the victim.

Detective questions the homeless, disperses cards for business,
but they're defensive 'round the shield, clam up, tacit, timid
Desperate, decidedly relying on Adam's altruism
the rep' he must've mustered to drum up info 'round the bridges

Adam hit the ground running in gumshoes, obsessive,
He called the precinct daily, cops called him Junior Detective
Angie meant a lot to him, determination impressive,
rarely took a break, looked for breaks in the case connecting

Evidence collecting as he spoke to Angies' exes
Seems she had an place to live, it appeared she never left it
At this point, Adam wasn't about to break into an apartment
So he let the Mangold know and they went to get a warrant.

The city key smashed the door, anticipated horrors,
More bizarre than brutality, Angie was hoarder,
A lawnmower, postage and papers forty years or more
And an odd supplement odor reminiscent of drug stores.
The cops didn't have time to root through the trash,
They left that all to Adam to pursue the truth of Ang
He supposed the corpses' clothes implied she was killed indoors
But the team shrugged it off, said it'd look different of course

Adam felt like he'd made no progress at all,
then a neighbor piped up said she heard a fight through the wall,
Choking and screaming, a domestic, wild, crazy
consistent with the right date on Good Friday,

Adam's suspicion was roused but now Red Colt was suspect,
Caused him ache and unrest, especially cause he loved him.
He found a note among the apartment's unkempt junk mess
confirming Red Colt was the red handed culprit

They caught Red Colt with his shopping cart full of cash,
Seems a family member died and passed it down to Ang'
Adam can't believe the stark good and evil in man,
Mangold says it'd be unsolved if not for the soccer champ.

Mangold is retired, Angie's cash went to her son,
Red Colt died of cancer once imprisoned for what he'd done
Adam retired his gumshoes and the cleats he carried,

Now he runs Philly food pantries, an homage to fallen Angie.


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