Invisible Man

I am the oddly dressed man
sitting quietly in the coffee shop's corner
writing poetry you will never read.
You never noticed me browsing through
the magazines while I waited patiently
behind you in the slowest checkout lane,
nor did you see me in the theater's crowd,
although I found you more compelling
than the show on the stage.
That night, gathering my nerve,
I almost touched your shoulder,
but lacking proper words or even
a scrap of Rossetti,
pocketed my hands instead.
Through all these things
I've never been seen,
So I brand myself invisible,
and work each day to believe
that it's the reason you've never even
looked at me.