No One's Listening

Do you see me? Can you hear me?

I’m here in the noise and the clutter, walking beside you.

Cell phone ring tones. MP3s and DVDs.
YouTube videos talking and singing. I wake up at night. No one is there.

We could sit beneath the old, white oak tree on the riverbank, just you and me.

No one’s listening.

Talking, talking. We’re all talking, while we’re typing at the same time we’re watching the weather report on TV. Music playing on the CD. Headphones, earphones, cell phones.
E.T. phone home.

We could go to the movie together and eat popcorn. You could be with me.

No one’s listening.

I’m hungry. I’m thirsty. I need to catch a plane. Hurry. Hurry. Hurry.
I feel nothing. No one seems to notice.

We could sit in the grass where the flowers grow and have picnic. What do ya’ say?

We’re all talking. No one’s listening.
Even when we’re whispering.

−me strauss Letting me be