Everybody Thinks It’s Them

I never asked But I noticed. It keeps happening. In small ways. In the same order. Everyday. Somebody circles your block. Same route. Same timing. Someone else switched rides. Shows up in different outfits. Just to be noticed. I hear about plans changing, arguments at home over nothing that really mattered, just so they could leave earlier than they said they would. Everybody looks busy. Nobody really moves. They stand around, checking nothing, watching for you, telling themselves they’re only waiting for a clue. Everybody thinks they might be the one. Everybody thinks it could be them. I see them stop everyday. Yeah just stop. To look your way, then forget what they were doing before that, where they were headed, why they even started walking. Some write things down. Don’t explain it. Keep it close, like it might be needed later, even if it never is. A lot of plans get left unfinished, not dropped exactly, just delayed again and again, while they start counting chances that were never promised. They don’t say anything directly. But it shows. In how long they stay. In how many times they look back. Everybody thinks they might be the one. Everybody thinks it could be them. No one says it. They wait longer than needed. They leave slower than usual. That’s it.