I see them
Anonymous in the crowd
Some of them know they are anonymous
Most of them don’t
They have places to go
and things to do
Their time is valuable
but they are less than a second in history
invisible in the dark
I prefer to watch those who know they are anonymous
there is fierceness in their faces
and sadness too
They aren’t waiting for anything
But you still find them
standing in a city park
or at a bus stop
they ride trains
and they go to jobs
There is something different in what they do
they take steps that have never been taken
and they don’t look around to be seen
They prefer anonymity
because it allows them to be different
and that is better
than being seen by the crowd
If they are recognized
it changes them
because who they thought they were
is now what someone else thinks
How can someone
compete with the opinions of a 1000?
In the end
We may get memorialized into something we are not
a statue without a face
eyes without expression
and a hard smile
To become what they want us to be
stationary
and without feeling.
Yeah – I prefer anonymity over being recognised. I’m okay in crowds so long as I am not the focus of the crowd’s attention.
BTW, I have just gotten my first book published!!!
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I like the idea and the poem. Some lament the invisibility that comes with age. Others welcome it. But to choose anonymity in the era of selfies and celebrities and noisy messages to be a success — now that’s special.
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Thanks Rachel McAlpine! I’m not a selfie type of guy. 🙂 I like old things. Being alone is glorious. It is pure freedom! The more I am left with my own thoughts, the happier I become.
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