Title: Perception

AN: This poem was written to compliment a piece of artwork. The painting was Hopper’s Automat. It is a painting of a girl sitting alone in a coffee shop looking self-conscious. It spoke to me because I used to be that girl and I wanted to capture the conflict of emotions that being in that scenario can cause.

Perception

I just know

That they’re staring,

Mocking me,

Mocking my pain.

They see me

Sitting all alone

And they point,

And the laugh,

And they whisper to their friends

About the girl

Without anybody

To even have a drink with.

And yet nobody notices me

The smart, funny girl

Who just wants to share

In their idle gossip and chit-chat.

They all notice me,

The loser

But nobody notices me

The person,

The friend.