An Exhaustive Search

Observer

He was an observer;
He watched people conversed,
Listened to every conversation,
Even able to focus on all at once.

He didn't start a conversation,
For he counted on others to do so,
But it was very rare,
So he was a mute,
Actually mistaken for one.

They said he couldn't talk,
Not utter a single word,
And even when he did,
People thought it was involuntary.

Now, you see him;
You remember him from grade school;
Here he is on his phone.

His mouth is moving,
Words escape his lips,
But you think he's crazy,
Think he's only talking to himself.

But notice his headphones,
That smile on his face,
The redness of his cheeks,
And tears from too much laughter;
His voice is even heard across the hallway.

You're shocked,
More so when the principal
Tells him to keep his voice down,
And you ask yourself
If he's even the same person.

He's silent once more
With that same face you remember:
Neither a smile nor frown
With his face its normal color;
He sits still on his chair,
Legs crossed together.

You look at his face,
Mutter a hello;
He does the same,
And he remembers you.

You bring up a bunch of topics,
Talk about how your day was like;
You expect a bunch of responses,
But he just listens to you.

You wonder why there's no response;
He is honest and upfront;
While he finds your talk engaging,
He is too shy to express himself.

He reveals he's only expressive
To the people he knows well,
The ones he's most comfortable with.

You consider it a change,
But he corrects you,
Stating that's how it always was;
Nonetheless, he grows more
Comfortable talking to people.

You have new insight on this person;
Years and years,
You believed he was a mute,
Only to realize his capacity
To be indistinguishable
From a socialite like you.

He was an observer,
But he was more than that:
He was a socialite like you,
Just that he settled for people
He was most comfortable with,
Those who earned his trust.