Hello You

And then you realize that the woman with the bald spot
And the warm smile who just passed you in the hallway
Might in fact be a murderer. This fear grips you
She will return through the glass door now that
This awareness has come to you.

Because when you come to an understanding,
When you come to that place of full recognition,
Then is the danger upon you.
Nevertheless you go on your way and do
The things you have to do.

Something is happening here. Some pressure
From below or above is squeezing you,
Causing you to talk to yourself out loud.
Something is about to arrive that will
Shock you and not shock you, as it will

Only return you to a place you have been before
And maybe never even left. And does it matter?
The repetition of hot baths turning cold and all the rest
Is finite. It’s all right, you say, if the time for specifics
Is not at hand. Meanwhile you neither weep nor laugh,

But simply stare at the light of the sun on the building
Across the way. Those windows are dirty, you are heard to say.
Someone will have to come and clean them soon. Why not today?

February 2007

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