In The Next Seat by Judith Pordon

   
He sat, stone forward,
with a graceless absence of gesture

waiting for motion to begin
somewhere else,

his impatient timepiece,
ticking.

For him, I was unacceptable
so I spoke hesitantly.

He was sandpaper,
irritated and irritating.

Under my color skin
he felt no kindred blood

and changed
his seat.

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JUDITH PORDON has poems published in The 1999 Austin International Poetry Festival Anthology, the current issues of Buffalo Bones, The 2River View, Agnieszka's Dowry, and forthcoming in Mefisto and Poetry Motel. She alternates living between Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and San Diego, USA and can be reached at PVPoeta@aol.com.

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