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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