In the “Umm…all right” Category

I was on the train the other day sitting down in front of a man.

Obviously homeless. Obviously crazy. This man spoke out loud.

He spoke to an invisible person in the seat right next to him.

I noticed something quite odd about the rhythm of his speech pattern.

He spoke in short, choppy sentences, with word choices out of the norm.

There was quite a long pause between each line. He’d speak briefly, then silence.

Each spoken line seemed odd. Why that choice of words? Finally, I got it.

Each line said had exactly seventeen syllables. Yes, I counted.

I listened to him the whole train ride, and counted each line one by one.

Seventeen syllables. Pause. Pause. Then seventeen syllables. Pause. Pause.

I don’t know if it was purposeful, but for half an hour it went on.

This man spoke in haiku to an invisible friend. I was enthralled.

I share ’cause it seemed the kind of thing you guys would appreciate.

So fascinated was I that I decided to challenge myself.

Could I write this post exactly seventeen syllables at a time?

I don’t know if that man was conscious of his efforts or just crazy.

It doesn’t matter. Perhaps it was just one of those times to live art.