Charles Bukowski: Balloons

I saw too many faces today
faces like balloons.

at times I felt like
lifting the skin
and asking,
“anybody under there?”

there are medical terms for
fear of height
for
fear of
enclosed spaces.

there are medical terms for
any number of
maladies

so
there must be a medical term
for:
“too many people.”

I’ve been stricken with
this malady
all my life:
there has always been
“too many people.”

I saw too many faces
today, hundreds of
them

with eyes, ears, lips,
mouths, chins and so
forth

and
I’ve been alone
for several hours
now

and
I feel that I am
recovering.

which is the good part
but the problem
remains
that I know I’m going to
have to go out there
among them
again.