Alien In the City

Alien In the City

As I walked the streets of Philadelphia Center City, I was totally absorbed in people watching.  At least I think they were people, but the might have been aliens from another planet, with their strange garb, their unkempt facial hair, and their tattoos and piercings.

I had the feeling of invisibility, as no one looked at me.  Did that mean that I was indistinctive?  Or, were people just skilled in hiding their gaze.  I felt like shouting “Hey, acknowledge my existence”.

But then I realized why city folk tend to look strange,  they too want to stand out in the faceless crowd.  But even when looking strange they tend to look the same.

I stopped one of the creatures to ask directions to the SEPTA station.  He replied “You want 16th Street, that will take you to the suburbs.”   At that point I realized that I was the alien, not them.  I, being clean shaven, with unadorned orifices and pleated pants was the foreigner.