бук

I saw too many faces today

faces like balloons.

at times I felt like

lifting the skin

and asking,

“anybody under there?”

there are medical terms for

fear of height

for

fear of

enclosed spaces.

there are medical terms for

any number of

maladies

so

there must be a medical term

for:

“too many people.”

I’ve been stricken with

this malady

all my life:

there has always been

“too many people.”

I saw too many faces

today, hundreds of

them

with eyes, ears, lips,

mouths, chins and so

forth

and

I’ve been alone

for several hours

now

and

I feel that I am

recovering.

which is the good part

but the problem

remains

that I know I’m going to

have to go out there

among them

again.