Sunday, June 20, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Neglect
A graying man seated by the water jet
a sign in his lap asking for charity,
a pen in his hand, the tip no longer wet,
his belt revealing help is a scarcity
I'm curious, so I ask him one time
why do you sit here alone with a sign,
having people toss up a nickel, a dime
isn't there some charitable hotline?
He shakes his head, surly and sour
I tried speaking, but no one had heard
so rather than waste another hour
I saved my breath and wrote this word
But your sign, I reply, says help please
I believe that is two words, isn't it?
He grimaces at my joking tease
the problem is no one else notices
A young woman enters the fray
offers the man a sandwich and turns
It's my friend who vanished one day
she says to me, you know what burns?
When you feel you have to disappear
for people to finally remember you
as if by being mute, they'd want to hear
everything, but that's just not true
wait, I interrupt, where did you go?
You felt ignored? Why the pretension?
It's your fault, you had let no one know
No, she breathed, no one had paid attention
a sign in his lap asking for charity,
a pen in his hand, the tip no longer wet,
his belt revealing help is a scarcity
I'm curious, so I ask him one time
why do you sit here alone with a sign,
having people toss up a nickel, a dime
isn't there some charitable hotline?
He shakes his head, surly and sour
I tried speaking, but no one had heard
so rather than waste another hour
I saved my breath and wrote this word
But your sign, I reply, says help please
I believe that is two words, isn't it?
He grimaces at my joking tease
the problem is no one else notices
A young woman enters the fray
offers the man a sandwich and turns
It's my friend who vanished one day
she says to me, you know what burns?
When you feel you have to disappear
for people to finally remember you
as if by being mute, they'd want to hear
everything, but that's just not true
wait, I interrupt, where did you go?
You felt ignored? Why the pretension?
It's your fault, you had let no one know
No, she breathed, no one had paid attention
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Magic Notebook part 1
I clutch my red spiral to my chest as I lean in for a drink of water. It's passing time, and I have but four minutes to make it to History of Western Civilization from "the stupid math", the level of math that means I'm just average. They happen to be on opposite sides of the poorly designed, oblong campus. At a leisurely pace, it takes easily six minutes. I'll have to jog part of the way, because there is no chance I am going to let my mouth stay as dry as that math class was. I really should start bringing a water bottle.
"Kim, we gotta go!" someone says right before they pull my backpack in the direction of History. I get a little water sprinkled on my notebook and shirt.
"Thanks," I reply a little sarcastically before I turn to my friend. I see that it's Michelle: brown hair, blue eyes, befreckled. She must have hooked my backpack right after coming out of the bathroom.
"Kim, we gotta go!" someone says right before they pull my backpack in the direction of History. I get a little water sprinkled on my notebook and shirt.
"Thanks," I reply a little sarcastically before I turn to my friend. I see that it's Michelle: brown hair, blue eyes, befreckled. She must have hooked my backpack right after coming out of the bathroom.
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