Points of Common Interest
by Zoe Gabriel

Why do men lean
against walls, shelves,
mantelpieces,
with their elbows out like cockerels,
whenever they wish to appear
more poised than they feel?

When they tell you
the best ones get snapped up first,
don’t they realize
there’s no comfort there
for us, the unsnapped ones?

Why do some people
inset their doors with glass plates,
as though windows were not enough
for total strangers to see our lives laid bare
even before someone does them
the common courtesy of opening the door?

Why is it so difficult
to say the word love
just when it is most needed,
and so easy to toss it out when we don’t,
nor do we intend to mean it?

You tell me.

Originally from Europe, Zoe Gabriel is proud of being able to pick her way through no fewer than nine languages. She's knocked about a bit around Europe and Asia, and currently lives in Maryland making a meager living as a graduate student. Her poetry has appeared in CADENZA magazine (UK).