A Note on the Public Transportation System
It’s not hard to begin
a conversation with the person
who happens to be seated
nearest you, especially when she’s been
reading with apparent interest
a book that’s one of your
favourites and can’t find
her matches.
The difficulty is
once you’ve spoken you can never
go back to being comfortable
with silence,
even if you learn
you’ve nothing to say
and would rather not listen.
You can stop talking
but you can’t forget
the broken wires
dangling there between you.
You’ll smile almost guiltily
when your glances
accidentally bump.
It may get so bad
that one of you will have to
pretend to fall asleep.
Alden Nowlan
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