As I button my coat and step out into the night,

Melodies about love- dark passion and sweet affection,

Float lazily into the air and into the ears of lovers,

Mesmerized, wrapped in warm embraces,

Sharing sweet kisses and precious secrets.

And the songs find their way into my ears as well,

Nipped red by the evening winds,

They caress my heart, rough, callous, and scarred.

And I, the solitary figure, the cold, gentle shadow,

Living ignored on the fringes of their festivals,

Feel something within me quiver,

My heart flutters like a ragged curtain in the wind,

Longing, sadness, loneliness, and disgust blossom inside me,

and I continue on.