Peering behind shaded lens
I notice natural stances
From which the human being moves
And sends askance glances
Where suspicion reigns, hostility
Marks the passing leer
Through which the human soul expounds
Animalistic fear
That every man’s an alien
Invading private spaces
Despite the fact the globe’s a sphere
With no cornered spaces.
As I walk by, six-foot-two,
Women look aside
As if, for all their pomp and stance,
My shadow blinds their pride.
Men are blind to environment
As if they do not see
The world around is not their own
But a hostile society.
I watch with eyes hidden by shades –
Emerald-tint sunglasses –
Which I bought for the hefty price
Of raising my defenses
Since all these children do the same
To fly with reckless abandon
Into sunny relationships
That last for half a second.
But as I watch them through a window –
Expressions in a haze –
I realize green-colored shades
Do not conceal my gaze.
Morning's Early Dark 