shrubby

It’s almost as if the people I am passing
Have been training their whole lives to look directly forward
And beyond me as if I am nothing more noteworthy than a shrub
I guess that could make sense
Since there are probably more people on campus/on planet earth than shrubs
But still, I have eyes
And I am looking at you.
I have tested the theory that it is unnatural to avoid eye contact
It feels unnatural.
Even cats make eye contact with me when I look at them.
They can’t help it!
Little kids look at me every time.
And the younger they are, the longer they will maintain eye contact
I rarely win staring contests with babies
Maybe people have just had bad experiences with making eye contact
Like “Oops, I promise I don’t have a crush on you (but oops I really do!)”
Or “You are wearing the weird clothes, I can’t look away”
Or maybe feelings pass too much
Or maybe then you have to talk to people and you are in a hurry
Even though it is a friend you haven’t seen in five months because you’re just too busy
Too busy to make eye contact
Too busy to be natural
Too busy to recognize that someone is not a shrub