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The Indistinguishable People Faces
by Meagan Green
The faces of all the people
are indistinguishable.
Those whose eyes are wide
and kind (even when they're shut)
pass by me on occasion
and tell me to have a nice day-
as if it is an order.
An old man, around 80 or so,
passed through my cigarette break
with a flood of hope.
He walked by, then stopped,
took three steps backwards and said,
"My god, darling, you are beautiful.
I hope you are happy. What is your
favorite number? One that is most
attractive to you?"
I told him 36.
He thought for a second,
then told me my date of birth,
favorite color, and personal tendencies.
"You are amazing. Best girl I've seen here. I'd advise
anyone to stay the hell away from somebody you dislike."
Then he gave me a strawberry candy and walked away,
whistling a tune.
Best candy I ever tasted.
Numbers. Similar to eyes in that they are,
perhaps, windows to the soul. Numbers, proof
perhaps... they don't sterilize and borify things.
I've never been good with numbers. Still don't know
all of my times tables, or how to do fractions.
Your total is 15.62. Out of twenty? 4.38 is your change, thank you.
The customers never say "you're welcome", although
myself, or the old alcoholic Harley man, or the pimple faced
teenage boy, should be the ones to say that.
The indistinguishable people faces
with their cell phones and important places
seem to be afraid to take a minute
to offer respect or recognition of being
to all the "little people" that serve them their coffee,
take their plastic money in exchange for paper (the non-recycled kind,
I might add, which is more expensive and less quality),
and cut their fat spoiled child's hair for the first time.
The indistinguishable people faces
don't leave a tip because the waitress wasn't
blonde, or leggy, or extremely overbearingly polite,
and the waitress still pays tax on that non-existent tip,
and the indistinguishable people faces
load up their Ford Explorers and run stops signs home
to make sure Trevor did his algebra and argue with their spouses.
04/04/2007 Posted on 04/04/2007
Copyright © 2024 Meagan Green
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Genevieve Sturrock on 04/04/07 at 12:35 PM i spent a very long time with an indistiguishable person. i still have to spend time with him and people like hime when i watch my kids play soccer. he is teaching my kids to be indistinguishable too. how truly sad. very well written, my dear. the shining star of hope in my life is my youngest little guy who is as polite, gracious and individual as they come. |
| Posted by Laura Doom on 04/06/07 at 06:23 PM Interesting, counter-intuitive take on numbers, generally regarded as the medium through which we are rendered indistinguishable. I'm not qualified to comment on faces in public places, but I imagine people are generally more reticent about expressing themselves in public, not just because of the 'surveillance' culture, but also because people are becoming less inhibited (more aggressive) in responding to the (interpreted) approaches of others, even if those approaches are 'innocent' or well-meaning. It's a habit that's hard to undress...? |
| Posted by Richard Vince on 04/11/07 at 05:56 PM mm. such a perfect microcosm of life. i really don't understand routine unpleasantness to strangers - there is simply no point, as it achieves nothing but misery. i'm very glad i took the time to read this, and wish i had done so sooner. |
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