Conversation Piece

I took this walk to ease my mind
To find out what’s gnawing at me
Wouldn’t think, to look at me
That I’ve spent a lot of time in education
It all seems so long ago
I’m a thinker, not a talker
I’ve no-one to talk to, anyway
I can’t see the road
For the rain in my eyes
I live above the grocers' store
Owned by an Austrian
He often calls me down to eat
And he jokes about his broken English
Tries to be a friend to me
But for all my years of reading conversation
I stand without a word to say
I can’t see the bridge
For the rain in my eyes
And the world is full of life
Full of folk who don’t know me
And they walk in twos or threes or more
While the lamp that shines above the grocers' store
Investigates my face so rudely
And my essays lying scattered on the floor
Fulfil their needs just by being there
And my hands shake, my head hurts
My voice sticks inside my throat
I’m invisible and dumb
And no-one will recall me
And I can’t see the water
For the tears in my eyes