I AM HUMAN

I am human -- one of us.

I know when I’m on a bridge
and when I’m crossing a river.

I get nervous when I hear the couple in the next house fight, especially because they have small children.

I get mad at motorcycles when they
roar up my quiet street at midnight.

Sometimes I like rain and sometimes I don’t.

I know when I vote and don’t vote.

I know when I’m eating watermelon or fresh bread.

I don’t know when I’m eating boiled potatoes,
most soups and toast.

I know when someone I love is in the room.

I know when I’m passing a cemetery.

There is something special about horses, especially
when I see a mare and her colt in a green field.

I know when I have a fever or a blister.

When I see a sailboat or a pregnant woman or a church something happens to me.

I get nervous when I see a person in a wheelchair
or when I see an ambulance flashing
or when a tractor trailer truck is too close.

I slow down, no matter what, when I see a police car.

A baby’s fingers always get to me.

I love the ocean.

I feel lonely when I’m in a car alone
and there is a couple close to each other in the car in front of me.

It makes it even worse when certain songs
come over the car radio.

I like it when someone tells me they missed me.

I feel good when I do the same or when I help someone.

Oh yeah, and sometimes I even pray.

© Andrew Costello, Listenings, 1980