From Writing Notebook 2021, published in 2022.

A Quiet Gray Man

my sense of humor
hesitant and mild
from birth
the acquisition of the
parts of speech
in childhood
changed nothing about it
or me:
my essence
is to give no offense
I make no strong impression

It’s not unusual.
You will forget about me quickly.
And not for the first time, I think.

7/21/21