Nothing to Contribute

Set apart from the sparkling, snappy gathering,
Where relationships and ice melt with the same rapidity,
His semi-glazed observations
Of clever conversationalists
Whom he would dread sitting next to on an overseas flight
Go unnoticed,
For it may be assumed
He has
Nothing to contribute.

Reserve mistaken for animosity;
Asthma for anxiety;
He
Yearns
To
Breathe
Free
And is accused of offering little companionship.

Desperately plowing his mind for one kernel of reflection
So as to join the edge of one cocktail huddle
Only to discover the topic he mistook for economy was
A discussion of Matthew McConaughey,
He turns on what is perceived to be an attitudinal heel
And captures the elevator for the next ride to impartial pavement.

Disappears into the shadows, in clouds of deeply inhaled,
Exhaled smoke; his footsteps forgotten before they can echo.
Failure to notice. Painless lack of impression.

.

.