Never Truly Alone
By John Herlihy

I am a scribbling scribe,
My eyes are upon everything,
No one is free of my gaze,
My eyes see through the haze.
Strange that no one sees me,
Better still, they keep me free.

I notice things wherever I go,
But I am never noticed, no.
Elephant ears and hang nails,
Nothing escapes my travails.
A hair lip and he who lisps,
I note everything in tiny sips.

I notice things wherever I go,
But I am never noticed, no.
I take pictures in my mind,
Careful to leave nothing behind.
No one can escape my eye,
I am there observing like a fly.

I notice things wherever I go,
But I am never noticed, no.
The student and the waitress,
The barber and the night guard.
They offer themselves free-willing,
Mercy in their unconscious giving.

I notice things wherever I go,
But I am never noticed, no.
I never say no to what I see,
Everything offers itself up to me.
A blemish, red shoes, a loose belt,
Everything betrays something felt.

Even in the crowd I am not alone,
In the crowd I mingle as wind blown.
True, no one ever takes any notice,
Held in reserve like a sacred lotus.
When people give themselves away,
I feel no cause for feeling dismay.

At home, I find myself alone,
But the crowd comes with me.
Their laughter and their tears,
Their beauty and truth, their fears.
My words come alive on the page,
The world offers me insights sage.

And so I am never truly alone,
Not even at night when at home.
All I see is but new discovery,
An unveiling of all the mystery.
I sit alone with my red stylus,
Imagining all I saw as priceless.