I stand in the shadows
Allowing the darkness
To obscure my form.
Feeling invisible
In a world that demands
Constant visibility.
I am a deviant in this regard.
Hiding has become second-nature.
Years of skulking about
Formulate my expertise,
Making me a solid spokesperson
For all those, like me,
Who feel most comfortable
Enveloped by the dark.
I’ve learned to sit up front,
But it takes guts to do so.
I keep my eyes downcoast,
Waiting for censure,
For the ego-destroying caustic comment
That snaps me in two.
But I sit there anyway, knowing,
Instinctively, that this is where best
To be recognized, to be acknowledged,
To be held as a positive example.
Later I’ll slink into the background
And blend in with the overhanging
Leaves of trees and
The sides of buildings.
I return to being invisible as
I stand in the dark.