writing on the wall

always present, never noticed–
that was my story.

perhaps it is yours too.

some of us were made for greatness–
big and beautiful and showy,
created for glory.

others of us are destined, it seems,
to sit unnoticed in the shadows,
watching, watching.

so it was for me.

i watched and saw, but few noticed me.
who would notice?

who would notice a plain stone wall,
unless they wanted to paint it

or lean on it, or hang a picture on it?
if it were gone, perhaps then

someone would notice its absence.

i was always there for the parties,
for the masquerades and the dances,

for the drunken orgies. always watching,
never participating. always present,
never seen. i may as well have been invisible.

is this your story too?

until one night. one night i was noticed.
i guess when the hand of God writes
damnation upon your forehead

people notice, even if they are
drunk and playing the fool with the Lord’s
holy articles.

i was the most infamous wall in Babylon.

some of us were made for greatness–
beautiful and big and showy.

and some of us were made for invisibility–
so that God’s hand could be seen more clearly.

maybe this is your story too.

********

a random act of poetry