empathy

a beam of crisp autumn sun
follows me around wherever i go
as i bustle through crosswalks
and gaze through foggy bus windows

the soft curl of a tired smile
weaves through cracks in the asphalt
the bellow of surprised laughter
in bass-percolating headphones

but then a jagged cloud passes
filtering through a grim message
it portends hidden realities
only separated by a door

the bend of a mistreated back
in the curve of the street lamp
the tingle of unwelcome tears
foam fizzling in a storm drain

i wish i had enough sunlight
to rip open that pointless cloud
i wish its sharp heavy shadow
hadn’t engraved into my bones