Awaken

I look around and I see a beige wall. All men appear the same. They may play sports, get great grades, come from wonderful families. I'll never know. They are beige walls moving quickly past me as I untangle the white knot of my ear buds. I always am listening to music when walking, some may think I'm trying to tune out the world but really I'm just tuning in. A smear of black soot appears on the beige wall to my right. A guy holds my gaze, no fear in his eyes to make him look away. He looks like danger, he doesn't get good grades, his past is a nightmare, he's spent his life staring at the moon. I take out one ear bud.