by Shirley Adelman*

Seated on the train,
the four of them signed,
smiling, grimacing, gesturing,|
like Italians in the piazza,
orchestrating words,
while we who speak and hear,
sat still, drawn into ourselves,
like wayward children,
waiting to be admonished.

* Author Bio: Shirley Adelman is a mother of two, grandmother of three, a breast cancer survivor, a former college teacher, and a writer of poetry and prose.  Her work has been published in academic, literary, and medical humanities journals in the United States, Canada,South Africa, and Israel.  Signing previously appeared in “Kaleidoscope Exploring The Experience Of Disability Through Literature And The Fine Arts,” Summer/Fall 2003, p. 60.