Ethos Of An Incluse (Poem)

This is why I prefer to avoid the hue and cry of crowds.

The surface conviviality of group encounters

Does not come easily to me.

I would far rather engage with one person

And have a brief but meaningful conversation.

I am uninterested in simply oiling the mechanism of polite flow.

Tell me something true and real that matters to you,

Else simply smile (or not) and walk past.

I like that better than chit-chat about the weather.

Unless you are a farmer.

Then the weather is of utmost importance.

I’ve learned to listen, a most useful skill,

And nod and make social-approval noises.

Then I make my way home,

Convinced more than ever

That I am not really human

And merely dwell among you,

Always a stranger in a very strange land.