Invisible Man

What thoughts cross your mind
On your way to work? Do they
Weigh you down, words unkind
Flung at you all day?

I sense unwritten worries-
I see none in your eyes.
I peer for untold fears-
Instead, your insolent smiles!

A careless chew of gum,
A slow, meaningful grin.
A pride that could irk some;
You hide your ache within.

Then one day, you turn away,
Your lips pursed in pain…
A lost look, a dropped word,
That vacant gaze again.

Does the present make you cry,
Or your painful past?
Long and weary, wet and dry
Days that slip by fast?

They see you not; if they do
They treat you with contempt.
Wear your mask of calm, though
They give you no respect.