All around me I see daily
Trivial how are you's thrown about,
As people rush by
not awaiting a reply.

Lift my head and plaster a smile,
Fine thanks, you?
Just going through the motions,
Of social emotions.

Sit surrounded by people,
All staring at a screen,
Dialling digits or far away in their dreams,
Or so it seems.

So I plug in my headphones
to drown out the drones.
The traffic was awful,
The weather drowned you in misery.

I let it embrace me,
Allow the rush hour crowd to carry me along,
Avoiding eye contact and becoming one,
I wonder if others feel what I can see.

Do they too long to flee?
To a happier destination,
Free of a routine,
Where cheery friendly hello's echo,
and a wave accompanies.

Where people have a bounce in their step,
And passion in their eyes,
A soft hum upon their lips,
and so like this: the time flies.