Outside, Looking In

I stand alone
On the step outside-
Laughter drifting through closed doors.
I knock and wait
For an invitation
That does not come.

Sometimes I take a breath,
Paint on a smile;
Push the door
And step on through
Uninvited.
They fill the awkward pause
With token nods
Then turn back
To clustered castes
I cannot join.

Stranger,
Intruder,
Crash-landed
In a Babel land of
Culture clash
Full of alien words
Incomprehensible,
Theirs and mine.

I stand alone.