To the man with his back turned at the restaurant

To the man
With his back turned 
At the table 
Ahead of ours
At the restaurant 
—Do you hear
What I am saying?
—Do you have 
Something to say?
You seem
To be scholarly 
I do not
Know you 
But I see
You are eating alone 
Your side profile 
Shows the arm
Of your glasses 
Reaching back 
And over ear
Your elbows
On the table 
The way
You sip your tea 
I just know 
You are thinking 
Masterpieces 
Imagining 
Wonderlands 
Why
Are you alone 
When 
Was the last time 
You shared 
Your stories 
How
Can I communicate 
To you 
That I want to hear
What you’re thinking 
About my lauding 
Of Nabokov
Are you sitting there
Silently participating 
In our conversation 
Only as a listener 
How many other
Conversations 
Have you heard 
And not spoken in 
How much knowledge 
Have you retained 
Incubated
Let mix and mingle 
What has it become 
What do you have to say 
I would ask you
To pull up a chair 
But I am with my girlfriend 
No, that’s not an excuse
It’s because I’m shy
Not drunk enough 
Not sure if you
Would even want to

August 29, 2021 at 05:48PM