As a ghost he found he could read the minds
Of the strangers who seemed to be trapped in themselves
The ones who appeared to be always alone
Who dwelled in the shadows of the margins of life
A middle-aged man waiting for a bus
He hoped would take him to another planet
A crippled veteran with a metal cane
Like a rifle to repel the enemy of his body
A woman with the scent of a one night stand
Worn as if it was a rare perfume
A bachelor who’d waited a lifetime one night
In a bar for a girl who didn’t exist
And he wished he could save these suffering souls
But knew that their fates were beyond his grasp
As he bid goodbye to the world he was leaving
Hoping it found its way home in the dark
Richard Schnap is a poet, songwriter and collagist living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His poems have most recently appeared locally, nationally, and overseas in a variety of print and online publications.
Categories: Poetry
Tags: e-zine, ezine, hyperbole, longing, melancholy, melancholy hyperbole, new, Notes From The Afterlife, poem, poet, poetry, poets, Richard Schnap, submit, writing
Melancholy Hyperbole 