Poem of the Day 05.06.09

in case you were lookin' for me, i quit that whole Facebook thing.

sympathy and empathy

back sore
left arm numb
right shoulder dead feeling
headache
knee pains
wet socks
and shoes with holes in them
i sit in this subway station
after killing another day
with work
listening as two women
a mother and daughter
argue over the meanings
of sympathy and empathy
the daughter says
that sympathy means
feeling sorry for someone’s
situation
and empathy means having
an understanding of how one got into
the situation in the first place
i’m too tired to care if the daughter
is right
the mother, however, does not agree
although she offers nothing in return
and the two begin to argue, loudly,
their shrill voices
echoing off the tunnel
scaring the rats
and cracking the mosaics
as i put down my book and think
back sore
left arm numb
right shoulder dead feeling
headache
knee pains
wet socks
shoes with holes in them
sympathy and empathy
and neither one of them here for me
in this
moment