I.
People think they are friendly
When they speak to themselves
In the mannequin images
Of those they think they know well–
In the postures of those
They think like them
In the waiting places of those who do not
Know themselves
II.
Alone beside myself when
The first person who
Spoke to me out of
Twenty had just been
Pronounced a very good man
With a nod and a wave of judication
And just been corrected
By his wife allowing me in my corner
Back to prose thoughts of the day: many unanswered questions:
1) What if you never received any social cues except the backs of people?
2) What if my positive social cues are all online?
3) How are violent domestic extremists not lonely?
4) How can we learn to fall into the “right place” when we fall out of ourselves from being touched?
5) Do the vibes from our hearts defeat gravity and radiate to other spheres when our fleshly heart ceases beating, where they will perhaps spark a light back to a dark hearth down the street, around the corner, over the hill?
6) Regarding our essence: does the need to maintain a strong backbone defeat the development of a flexible wishbone (see: Clemtine Paddleford)?
7) Isn’t it good enough to nurture a single rose for my garden and allow the rose’s sweetness and beauty to draw in that one friend to make the rest of my world, Leo Buscaglia?
8) Will those preparing for the Apocalyse, carefully keeping blank faces, conserve their energy for refueling their lamps into the coming darkness?
9) Will these skimping lamplighters succeed in nudging the timeline of their own conclusions backwards into their yesteryears?
10) Will these narrow lights of the straight-faced keep their lights shining on the details of their retreat into the storing places of their endeavors?
11) Will the door open at their approach to reconsiderations, or will it swing into the bodies of their deeds abraded by rushing past their brothers?
12) Do we dwell in shyness to be warm, and as we grow cold in loneliness, grow angry and warm ourselves with wrath?
13) Do we wave at just one other as we set about to hide so that one will knock for admittance to our self-absorption?
Profiling others bends our noses, squeezes our eyes, twists our mouths, so that we are unrecognizable at the gates and are left to wait by the firepit.
NOTE: All of the above verses and questions are being prompted by:
1) Occupy Wall Street
2) U.S. vs. three states regarding pending immigration laws
3) My own challenges in balancing the need to “wait” for “proper” social cues before speaking out and the need to steadfastly, firmly, gently stand on the side of justice.
granbee 