Person Watching

I just watched her life. ~ Joan B.

Stalking is such an ugly word, an unwelcome attention.
People watching, however, can be the sincerest complement.
We begin it early, watching parents and siblings, copying them.
We use teachers as examples as to how to live.
Fifty two years ago an English teacher said "Shostakovich"
in anger. Not only do I remember the Russian composer's name
but the example of finding alternatives to cursing.
I sit each Monday morning talking to recovering compulsive eater
from California to Ireland and as they speak of meditation
and months free of sugar and white flower, I want to be like them
in depth of commitment and continuity. I read people's stories,
hear their shares and copy phrases and comparisons to ponder
in hopes they'll sprout into a poem. Me life is better because
I watch people's lives.

Shostakovich