Are You Looking At Me? Poem by Mark E Webster

Are you looking at me?
Are you looking at me?
Are you seeing me?
For who I am or what I am?
Are you looking at me?
What do you see?
Shape, form, width, height?
Average, norm, stocky, slight?

Are you hearing me?
Are you hearing me?
Are you listening to me?
For how I sound or what I say?
Are you hearing me?
What do you hear?
Accent, slang, diction, tone?
Colour, class, gang, alone?
Are you reading me?
Are you reading me?
Between the lines?
Chapter and verse?
Metaphorically?
Literally?
Who I am, who I want to be?

Are you comparing me?
Are you comparing me?
With others you see?
In magazines or on TV?
Or with yourself, the self you see, hear, listen to, read, judge, appraise, condemn, censure, applaud, regard, reward?

Are you comparing me?
Are you hearing me?
Are you reading me?
Are you looking at me?