I want to stand on the street corner with a sign
And take a mental tally of the folks who pass me by.
How many of them are willing to look me in the eye?
And what kind of person is most willing
To see beyond my age?
My dress?
My lonely shyness?
My rage?
My peace?
My thoughtlessness?
My deepest thinking?

Beyond myself
To the greater part of me,
Which is all of this and more?
Beyond my sign?
Beyond the mattress store
That's been closing for a year now?

-jenn