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!