Unseen Things — Other People’s Thoughts
The Poetics prompt at dVerse Poets Pub yesterday was to write about unseen things that nonetheless exist. My first thought was to write about angels or God, but that seemed too predictable for me. Then last night I was at my critique group, sitting quietly while two of my group members read and made purple and blue marks all over a one-sheet I’d prepared for an upcoming conference, and this poem came to fruition.
Other People’s Thoughts
You can’t see them or hear them
But as surely as ideas
careen through your own brain
other people have thoughts
that may or may not involve you
Probably not, truth be told
Still you wonder
what they might be thinking
what they might think of you
Do they think you’re a great writer
or a hack who should give up
sooner rather than later
You wonder
until you get distracted
by thoughts of what’s for dinner
Your favorite song about the thief on the cross
Your most recent vacation adventure
An event you’re looking forward to
A pebble in your shoe
Sometimes, though, you can almost hear them
Or it seems that you must have
as you make a comment to your son
and astonished he replies,
Were you listening to my thoughts?
I was just thinking that same thing!
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Thoughts are meanderers. Some are best unsaid. Love this, Linda!
Loving this……..”a pebble in your shoe” – those are the perfect words to express how sometimes our thoughts meander and end up in the truly mundane. And oh yes….sometimes we are simpatico with someone and share their thoughts.
Nice idea about listening to thoughts of others and getting distracted by simple things like pebbles in one’s shoes.
A wonderful poem!!!
kaykuala
Were you listening to my thoughts?
I was just thinking that same thing!
Among loved ones there may be such ‘silent relationships’ though difficult to grasps
Hank
oh! those purple and blue marks, almost like bruises… That is the wonder of words, seeing other people’s thoughts, and with poetry more intrinsically honestly than most other forms. Well, I do not think you are a hack, your poem really breathed truly honest to me with the stanza about the distractions… how the little things divert the exalted thoughts so often. And those darn pebbles in those shoes! Ooch! Nice touches.
Thank you! So glad you appreciated my poem.
What you have captured, Linda, is so much truth! I have to read this several more times just for the fun of it all!
Sometimes it’s fun to go with the unpredictable. 😉
It’s amazing how we sometimes feel (or even see) what they are thinking… maybe it’s what honesty means
I think it happens most with people we are close to. You start to know how they think, to some extent, as have similar interests so it’s natural to be thinking the same things.
You had the same first thoughts I had. God or angels?….No, too predictable for me! Love this poem!