Nobody

I stand outside alone and think,

Shivering and barefoot--

--Though I could have worn shoes

And a jacket,

Though nothing would cure the shivering

Or the naked suffering.

Not a pair of shoes,

Nor a jacket.

Young heathens sit in the gazebo

And disrupt my thoughts,

Commencing in illegal activities:

Marijuana, smoked from a pipe or a bong;

Illegally-bought alcohol,

Purchased through convincing forgery,

Or striking deals with shiftless hobos.

I am alone.

No woman by my side--

Not Woman A, slender, smart and quirky,

Relating to me through a common knowing,

A similar suffering;

Nor Woman B, round-faced and rootsy,

Cute, though somewhat empty

Within her head;

Nor Woman C, blonde and statuesque,

An angel moving swiftly from man to similar man,

Never thinking for a moment to change her plans,

Or try a man of a different sort.

The night grows colder and I still freeze,

Waiting for someone--

--Anyone, though preferably Woman A--

To pass me by, with a smile

And a kind word,

A nod of the head,

An "I'm there too, cold and alone,

But if we joined together,

Perhaps that would solve both our problems."

Nobody arrives.