Inconspicuousness — Summary

Water falls in the background Parents, children, students, lovers walk by Hand-in-hand they go Me? I'm just a girl dressed in black A distant, if any, memory at most

Show the whole poemHide the poem

Learn Poems app

Try the Learn Poems app

Everything from the website trainer, and more: new exercises, voice recording and sharing, reminders, quick review.

A girl stands somewhere public, with water falling nearby, and watches other people drift past. Everyone she names comes with someone else: parents with children, students, lovers holding hands. Against all that closeness, she describes herself in one flat line: "just a girl dressed in black."

What she feels is loneliness, but it's a quiet kind. She doesn't complain or plead. She simply assumes she won't be noticed, and even guesses that if anyone remembers her, it will be only a "distant, if any" memory. The words "just" and "at most" make her sound like she's shrinking herself before anyone else can.

The mood is still and a little wistful. The falling water gives the scene a soft background hum, while the short lines and plain wording leave her sitting in a space that feels both busy and empty. The black clothing suggests, judging by the imagery, that she blends into the shadows rather than stands out.

Read also

More by Phoenix Nicole

All poems
AngryPhoenix Nicole

Resentment

Finely-engineered pain stretches across my heart Music flows as he strums slowly Dull notes seap out of the antique instrument Musician's frustration
SadPhoenix Nicole

Break Time

I just wanna take a break A break from life A break from the world Most importantly, a break from myself