What is it
That drives this need
This compunction
You seem so willing
To assume
The weight of...
... responsibility for
These taciturn involutions
As well as...
Any residual guilt
That
Later on
May well be felt
When no solution
Exists
And all this
In some futile effort
To pretend
I don't exist
That you never saw me
When my hopeless soul
Or my misshapen body
Was right there
Before you
As you went on by
When you could have
Simply ... looked my way
Caught my eye
Smiled and said "hi"

Instead of pretending you didn't see me