Days Cannot Hold

The child who becomes the adult who cannot forget.

The adult who refuses to address the past.

Strangers who stare past one another.

Tears that spill out and spread across the landscape.

A neighborhood where shadows move beyond their shapes.

A line drawing that follows its own path.

A line lost.

The sound of a subway train screeching into a station.

The packed car with people plastered against one another.

Homeless people sharing a grate on a frigid night.

Stories told slant as if words lost their meaning.

Refugees fleeing to people showing their backs.