The runner sees the man in the office
Watching her from the window
She runs faster for him
For she knows he’s a competitive man

The student with the backpack watches too
As he walks along the sidewalk
She flips her hair
For she knows he’ll like it

So does the mother, gripping the stroller, watching
The runner lifts her feet farther off the ground
For she knows the mother wishes for that freedom

The old man in the old car watches too
And she smiles at him
For she knows he is not trying to be old

There’s a plane above and the passengers watch her
And wonder how a dot so small could move so fast
So she moves faster
And the cars stop at a traffic light
Kids in soccer uniforms
A young couple in a convertible, watching
A woman with one streak of grey in her hair, smoking a cigarette
A man sleeping, his cheek pressed against the window, but watching all the same

She moves faster and her legs are on their own now and she can’t breathe
For she doesn’t know how, with all these people watching her

YANK
Her wrist is pulled back
Her dog has stopped
He is lying on the pavement, refusing to move
For he saw the businessman type faster
The student let his backpack fall from one shoulder
The mother hold the stroller just a little bit tighter
The old man wish those outside could smell the wonderful scent of old leather

“People,” He sighed, “They’re so self-centered.”

And the runner faints
For it is the first time she notices he can talk