Stranger | Teen Ink

Stranger

November 3, 2008
By Katherine Smith BRONZE, New Baltimore, Michigan
Katherine Smith BRONZE, New Baltimore, Michigan
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Are you the one sitting next to me
On the bench outside the drug store
Waiting for a prescription
Don’t worry
I’ll be gone in the prescribed hour
When my photos are done
Then you'll hear nothing more of me
We'll both walk away
And forget each other as soon as we're out of sight

Or maybe you’re the woman
Nothing more than a girl really
With the protruding belly
The baby your parents made you keep
A little boy
Nathaniel will be his name
I’ll try not to stare
As we pass in the grocery-store aisle
And try not to judge
As your worried face sticks in my mind

Maybe you’re the factory worker
Out of the job
We’re all hurting now
That’s what the news man says
But what does he know?
He’s not the one with a mortgage
He’s not the one with two kids
He’s not the one without insurance
Staying awake at night worrying that his kids will get sick

Or maybe you are the anchor man
Telling the world what’s killing us all now
From the safety of your desk
But your job’s not that easy
I imagine it’s rather difficult
To keep your voice level
As you speak of kidnappings and bombings
I couldn’t do it.
I wonder why you do

You could be the homeless man
Given up on life long ago
Or maybe life gave up on you
Who knows?
I don’t, I never bothered to ask
Maybe this is your fault
Maybe you just fell on hard times
I wish I had the sense to inquire
But honestly I don’t know that
Your shoes would survive anyone walking a mile in them
And I won’t be the first to volunteer

Or you’re a politician
Its election season again
Not looking good for anyone
Blamed for everything
Thanked for nothing
It’s your fault that everyone’s hurting
Your fault we’ve fallen so hard
I wonder if we’ll praise you if we manage to stumble back up
Probably not
I wonder if you’ll be re-elected
Probably not.

You could be anyone
A face I don’t remember
A name that slips past my ears
A voice lost in the din
But until then
You’re just a



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