Keep It To Yourself
Keep it to yourself when weather’s cold
And watered asphalt mirrors smoke-cloud sky;
When people stare, alone on bus and train,
Eyes focused on the nothingness gone by,
Past faces somewhat known to them in passing
On dreary days like this.
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And keep it to yourself when crosswalk crowds
In unison disperse their stern-faced members,
Who briskly stride their solitary march,
Among the raucous horns and shiny fenders.
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Don’t interrupt the trance with polite phrases
Or let your face be happily stained with rain;
But walk with head bent down toward lowly places
That hide ‘neath puddled water in the lane.
*
Stride briskly past the sharp stone cornered faces
Tall buildings wear above the city rush.
Don’t hesitate to notice how each trace is
Made soft by rain’s impressionistic brush.
*
For one glimpse of a mouth turned slightly upward
May prove the dreary day conceived is false.
A smile could cause a smile, then melody
Might break the city’s metronomic pulse…
And light from strangers known only in passing
May warm the earth yet hidden from the sun.
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Melissa Rooney
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