2000/putup

She’s put up with a lot,
hasn’t she,
I hear someone say.
Our lives stream past each other
without touching,
like the photos of freeway lights
at night.
Curious how few people we ever know,
and those not well.
One of those food chain moments
when you see it all in a way
you wish you didn’t.
Or how it sometimes hits you
that everyone goes to the bathroom.
More than you want to know
or think about.
Maybe that’s why we don’t look
closely into each other’s lives,
like owning more clothes
than we have room for
in the closet.

3/29/00