Hollow frame 

Translucent skin 

Shadowy figure 

Hiding 

Wandering on the 

Outskirts of  

Civilization  

Waiting  

Yearning  

For a person  

To call a friend  

To call a home  

To call theirs  

While on the outside 

It stays  

Looking in 

At the people 

Laughing 

Holding  

Talking  

So for the first time 

In a long while 

Today 

It will  

Travel into the 

Small town 

To be one of them again 

To belong in their world 

To have friends 

To say hello to old ones 

To create new ones 

To create meaning 

To be something 

Someone  

It follows the roadside 

Getting closer 

Thinking of  

How to make normal faces 

Smiles and frown lines 

Eyes closed and open  

To properly look like them 

To not startle them with how a stranger such as it 

Looks and acts 

The legs wobbly  

Practically floating now 

With the feet dragging behind it 

But not straying from the path 

With determination our hollow creature continues  

With sand in its eyes  

A void within its heart  

And lungs full of fresh sea water 

Emotions leaking out of its eyes 

It now had arrived at the city  

Looking at the sign big  

With squiggly lines 

It now trespasses into 

The new place  

To explore  

And to find out 

If there is more 

To this life  

The town is full  

People on the street 

Waving to each other  

Smiling  

Talking  

Laughing  

Walking in unison 

What are they smiling about 

What is it missing out on  

Walking through the town 

No one remembered it 

No turning heads 

No one judging  

No one staring  

At what it had become  

As if this earthling belonged  

As it once did in this 

Quiet  

Small  

Town 

Smiling and waving at the strangers 

They didn’t acknowledge her 

But it thought they would  

Soon enough  

Once it familiarizes itself 

With the citizens   

Wondering why  

Eventually our wanderer finds the shop 

The green letter now looking worn 

And the toys in the window  

Staring at it  

Begging and welcoming it  

To come in  

So now the thing will 

Carefully  

As though not to 

Offend or intrude  

It enters the shop 

Looking at the toys  

The candy and the juice boxes 

It looked just like  

The last time the creature and her dad 

Went here  

“The red one!” it said looking up at the man 

Eyes open with excitement 

“Sure” he smiled  

The memory was more of an echo 

Of what it once was  

But still there  

And cherished 

So it went up to the cashier  

With determination and anticipation  

Waiting for help 

To ask if anything was free 

To take as a souvenir  

Or a reward for the braveness  

This one had shown today 

The cashier didn’t look up  

From the electronic rectangle 

Maybe it was a small computer 

Typing away and it would respond 

So waiting for a few 

Seconds  

Then minutes  

It eventually croaked “excuse me” 

“Excuse me sir” 

No reaction 

“Um I’m sorry to bother you but can you help me?” 

Still no response  

“Hello?” 

“Sir?” 

Maybe he didn’t hear  

So speaking louder  

“Can I please have some help if that’s ok?” 

Maybe he was deaf  

So our Good Samaritan  

Wrote with the pen and paper  

From next to the register  

And slid the note to him 

Not even looking up he sighed 

As another costumer walked up 

Should monster say anything? 

Smile and wave again? 

Tell her he’s not talking to this? 

She was old with scaly hands 

Holding a box of cookies 

Chocolate chip 

“How are you today?” She said to him 

“Tired” now looking up from the tiny computer  

“Well hopefully your shift ends soon, 

So you can get some rest sweetie” she smiled 

“Hopefully they let me leave early” 

“Just the cookies today the grandkids are coming over” 

“Ok that will be $4.99” 

The lady got the money out or the lures  

And handed it over 

He gave her change  

And she left 

He talked to her 

Not to this creature 

This conqueror went into this town with a mission 

For friendship 

For human interaction  

And it will accomplish their mission 

“Excuse me sir” 

“Excuse me?” 

“I know you hear me”  

“Please talk to me” 

“Are you listening?” 

“Helllloooo?!?” 

“You talked to her, why? Why her and not me” 

Waving it transparent, misty hands 

He didn’t look up 

So with defeat in its heart 

And a pit the stomach  

It left the tiny shop 

Walking on the side walk 

Staring at the faces  

Some familiar  

Some not 

None looking back 

Any where but at it and the starving figure 

Why? 

Why? 

Why is it so hard to be seen? 

“Hello” it said to the people passing 

“Hello” 

“Hi how are you” 

“How was your day” 

“Will you talk to me” 

The loneliness of life had exhausted it 

It was ready now 

But no one gave it a chance 

A fresh start 

Why? 

Was it the way it looked 

Sure a little different now after the accident  

But not enough  

To be seen as  

Deserving of this treatment  

As inhuman 

As this 

Walking faster now  

Into the center  

Of the town  

Where the majority  

Of them are 

“HELLO” 

It shrieks  

No turning heads  

“HELLOOOOO” 

Now trying  

Anything  

Anything for a reaction  

For their eye to meet its   

With vengeance for the neglect  

And pride for the perseverance  

But all efforts where futile 

With a worn out throat  

And a drained soul 

It now gave up  

Deciding to find the cemetery  

And now journeying to  

The far side of town 

To avoid the people 

Paying attention to everyone  

But this monster 

To look at the stonewalls with names  

Near the church 

Wandering to the backyard  

Where the flowers decorate  

Each stone 

Reading the through the names 

Admiring the crumbling stones 

And the moss over growing them 

When our earthling came across  

A stone titled “Adeline Stoll”  

“Adeline Stoll” 

Ringing in its ears 

“Adeline Stoll” 

Is this a joke? 

“Adeline Stoll” 

With hands shaking  

Panicking now  

“Adeline Stoll” 

Is this why someone didn’t recognize it? 

“Adeline Stoll” 

Reading more now 

“Here lies Adeline Stoll  1982-1998…..”   

Don’t read the rest 

Don’t read it  

“….. may her soul now Rest In Peace” 

Adeline Stoll  

Adeline Stoll 

Adeline Stoll was 

Adeline Stoll 

Adeline Stoll was 

Adeline Stoll was a 

Was a  

Adeline Stoll was  

She was it  

Adeline Stoll was her 

Was her  

Was it 

She was Adeline  

She  

It was  

All the same 

Adeline  

Adeline Stoll  

After the accident she 

Adeline Stoll  

Wandering into the woods 

Adeline Stoll  

No one  

Cared  

Adeline Stoll 

Adeline hiding in the forest  

Watching the paramedics  

Adeline  

Cleaning up the car wreck 

The car burning 

Adeline Stoll  

Young 

Parents crying  

As they pull the kid out 

Adeline Stoll 

No one cared 

To find her 

Adeline thought  

The grave said  

1998 

It was 24 years  

Since the accident  

The accident killed her 

Adeline Stoll 

Is this why no one acknowledged her? 

Has it really been 24 years? 

Was she really dead? 

Withering away  

Disintegrated from all their memories 

Did anyone care? 

Looking around at all the grave stones  

She saw how they where decorated  

All except hers 

They had forgotten about 

The person that once was it 

The one that went to school  

With hair tide back with thick ponytails 

And two bows  

Adeline who  

Was young 

Adeline who 

Wanted to help people 

Adeline who 

Wanted to be a doctor  

Adeline who  

Was dead 

Adeline who  

Was forgotten