In a social situation,
impaled on a din, I observe
the pawing of words in the air,
provoking the restraint of a
yawn that threatens to ease the brain
from its soft roots.
Rebellious for wholeness,
I leave behind a serviceable
presence, able to take the scuffs
of talk, withdrawing to an
inner room where I have been waiting
for myself these two hours or more.
I close the door, offer my face
to quiet’s kiss, embracing
innerness, listening again to
the breathing of time …
… the only sound
a floorboard’s friendly creak.
Audio version of A Social Situation
Or, to hear a real poet on a somewhat similar theme, listen to Philip Larkin reading Vers de Société
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