People Watching

Sorry for stealing your title, Jack.

I went people watching today

as I do from time to time.

We're so interesting,

the human race,

and when I people watch

I see somebody new every time.

But it's not somebody new

in the sense you may think,

for they are more than just a new face.

I see new faces everyday.

The new people I see

are new people to watch,

and so I watch them.

Today I saw a new person,

he was sitting across from me

in a bench quite like the one I was sitting in.

I sat on the right side of my bench

and so did he.

He was older than I,

his white beard reached down below his chin.

His thin framed glasses sat lightly on his nose

and he adjusted them from time to time,

usually when the wind blew.

He carried nothing with him,

nothing but himself,

and a tarnished silver pocket watch,

which he checked every time he adjusted his glasses.

He had a brown argyle sweater,

brown slacks,

with brown loafers.

He seemed to enjoy brown

as much as he did the air.

He took it in with long deep breaths,

taking in each happily.

This New man intrigued me,

but it is impolite to stare,

and so I watched at other things

but I could not look away for too long.

I watched the people rush by him,

How could they not notice this most interesting man?

Then the man got up and walked away,

his hands in his pockets.

He adjusted his glasses

and checked his watch.

I people watched the man

until he wasn't even a spec in the distance.

But before he left,

he had turned and smiled

and gave a little wave.

It wasn't until he was gone

that I realized,

He was people watching me.