The words made no sense

The words made no sense

Torn out of their mouths

Half-formed

Carried on the wind as they rode by

It could be a warning

A crude joke

A cry of joy

From one boy

To the other.

Kids on bikes,

Full of themselves,

Unaware of their impact

On the old guy

Who ducked down

Into his shoes,

Head tucked in,

A tortoise

With a cracked shell.

Stood upon

Climbed over

Squashed down flat

All of his life

Taking up as little space

As humanly possible.

It was twenty years

And more

Since he was packed

Into a cardboard box,

He carried out himself,

Escorted under guard.

Security pass confiscated

Discontinued

Superseded.

He kept the box

On a shelf in the garage

Untouched.

He never went back

To the office

No nostalgic return

His post filled

With another body

Before his seat was cold.

It reminded him

Of the way his dad

Had dismissed him.

Always disappointed

With his progress

The answers to his questions.

His acumen,

Poor catching

Lack of ball control

Hand-eye coordination

General paucity of

Worthwhile skills

At anything.

Shrinking into his shoes

With every jibe

Shaply pointed

Hitting its mark,

Though invisible,

He felt them all.

He shrunk into the chair,

Wrapped in a blanket

Against the cold.

Watching life unfold

In the space between

One wall and the next.

His Dad was wrong

Invisibility was a skill

He had perfected it,

Long ago.