The Trouble with Poetry by Nicole Barth [12/28/12]

My mind was nestled
somewhere in between the cocoon of two earbuds
when I finally noticed the nameless crowd surrounding me.

The years in the fingers twisting a silver wedding band,
the Ketchup stain on a lavender shirt.
Her smirk, his wave; an arched brow.

Pieces before a game of chess.

I tinkered with a frayed audio cord;
you abandoned a train ticket.


*inspired by Billy Collins' "You, Reader"