Street Knowledge
From worn, downtown sidewalks, I
Glance at the denizens, knowing in full
Each life story
The way they look at me in return
Fully imparts themselves like oppressing billboards
Through the way they
Drape their bodies,
Carry their heads
Looking away after
Our commonplace gazes,
I try not to fool myself;
I'm just a mere tourist, after all
Who thinks the windmill I see up on the hillside
As I pass on by
Is like every other;
Perhaps it would be wise, instead,
To think of false familiarity like
Looking at the doors of a barn
Leaving its contents inside to
Spill out later, under fresh circumstances;
Protracted visits on porches I
Haven't been to before, and
Might never be extended an invitation to visit again