Nicolas Greenwood

He Watches Me

He watches me, and the steps I take.
With eyeglasses on, his head unmoving,
and his otherworldly, quiet, expressionless face,
looking intently without judgement or grace,
he watches me, and the steps I take.

He watches me, and the choices I make.
Seated on a chair, a pen in his hand,
he writes and then pauses and then scribbles again,
his eyes never moving or leaving me when
he watches me, and the choices I make.

He watches me, and the promises I break.
Silently, he folds a piece of paper and,
opening a drawer, places it within.
His eyes are unblinking and perfectly thin.
He watches me, and the promises I break.

He Watches Me

About This Poem

I vividly recall sitting alone at a desk in a public library, writing something, when I suddenly felt a pair of eyes turned at me. I looked up and noticed a portrait of Ivo Andrić (a famous Yugoslav author and Nobel Prize laureate) hanging on the wall, his serious face watching me quietly. For a moment, it seemed like he was really there, observing me, reminding me by his presence alone to write and only write the best of myself. I left that day feeling his gaze follow me beyond the doorways of the library.

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