What it means to be a Stranger

What it means
to be a Stranger

Being a stranger is not about wanting to be nameless. 

It is about existing in the same space as other nameless people. 

 Living  your  own  life  and  sharing   and  presenting   moments  you  might   not  share
with those closest to you  because it is easier  to talk to someone you will never see again
   than    it    is    to    admit     emotions    to    people    who     will    ask    you    questions. 

Living your own life and sharing and presenting moments
you  might  not  share  with  those  closest  to  you   because      it      is      easier      to      talk      to       someone
you  will  never  see  again  than  it  is  to  admit  emotions
  to       people       who       will       ask       you      questions. 

Isn’t it hard?

Isn’t it 

t

i

r

Is it not burdening to

i

n

g

?

to have to see so many faces

to have to hear so many voices

open ears

open eyes

To have to listen to them and respond appropriately,
when you, yourself have a day to get through?

It only becomes a burden if the heart chooses to carry
weight that does not belong to it. It is not my
burden to hold onto the troubles of those
who share the intimacies of their life.

I am just a passing stranger
someone else found comfort in.

I am a face, in the blank noise of work-a-day and chaosed life, that was 
kind enough,     friendly enough,    n  o  n  c  h  a  l  a  n  t                        enough
to welcome a session of oversharing.

I am a face, in the blank noise of work-a-day
and chaosed life, that was 
   kind enough,   
     friendly enough,
 n o n c h a l a n t                        enough
to welcome a session of oversharing.

and unknown

A session of talk with no questions. 

It is not the right of a stranger to ask questions.
A stranger,
is a fly on the wall in conversations

someone wishes to have by themselves
but not alone.

To be a stranger
is to entertain loneliness,

to be a distraction,

and then to be fo

ot

rg

ten.

Notes

Notes

Below are some notes about this piece, including the thoughts and external inspirations that occurred during its creation. 
Bear in mind, this is simply what I was thinking of when I wrote these poems and what they mean to me. If you interpreted them differently, that does not diminish how you felt as the reader nor the correctness/incorrectness of what you were thinking. 
What it means to be a Stranger [2023] is a free verse poem about working in customer service. Often when I was working at the registers in retail, polite conversation would turn into anecdotes. When I first started working at 14, I was so awkward, I had no idea how to deal with people, let alone when those people started sharing moments of their life. As I grew older, I learnt how to listen to those stories, learnt which people were chatting and which were just talking. And working in hospitality has brought a new joy in hearing from new people. 
free verse

Below are some notes about this piece, including the thoughts and external inspirations that occurred during its creation.
Bear in mind, this is simply what I was thinking of when I wrote these poems and what they mean to me. If you interpreted them differently, that does not diminish how you felt as the reader nor the correctness/incorrectness of what you were thinking. Poetry is subjective, and so is being alive.