Crooked

It’s good to look aslant at the world,
a little sideways,
looking out for either the humor
or for what’s not said,

including peculiarities:
the petite, unique,
whatever is not at ease,
plots not well developed;

or subtle hints
that lead you to feel uneasy
or even threatened,
so you, instead, make a joke,
or just walk it off.

Such is the art of awareness,
an important skill
that requires extensive practice
and that must be honed
like a blade on a platform of ground diamonds;

and is best kept hidden
when you sense you are being dismissed
by an easy laugh,
or dismissive manner:
as if you are candle lit and set afloat

in the half-shell of a walnut
in a sink, a basin or pond,
thus, may be snuffed out
by a breeze, an eddy, a ripple,
but still can bob.