Observing Social Graces
6 October 2005 | Brett | Poems
They are a marvel
talking without doubling back
statements clear
willing to share enthusiasms
or poke fun at themselves
starting conversations during which
they’ll mostly listen, but also at home
performing if necessary
For you can’t help but like them
despite their good manners
and you forget to wonder
if they like you, if it’s cultivated
or came from ther families,
if this is how their families
see them, if they let them
or are their parents
too awestruck to know