The Trefoil Muse

Earlier, he’d pursed his lips, tossed the newspaper aside and decided that even though the state of the world was depressed, he could still improve his grammar.   The word of the day was weltscherz; a noun meaning sentimental pessimism, sorrow that one feels and accepts as one’s necessary portion in life.

The man was well aware of the evils of the world and their ability to bring about sadness, melancholy and feelings of anxiety even in the most courageous or disciplined of people.  He himself bore its burden, felt and depicted the full weight of such world-pain but preferred to feign outward ignorance toward such weaknesses of character.  No one really knows the crimes or evils others will stoop to in order to control the world’s destiny – that was a cold hard fact he was certain of.

Now, he stood alone at the Auction mart while others scurried to and fro hunting for treasures.  It was as if he had drawn a large impenetrable circle around himself which on one dared to cross.  The mass of people respected his space, even small restless, unruly children who were crying for dinner.  His self-imposed barrier kept him free from intimacy.

The man was still in his work attire.  It made him different.  Differences make people uneasy, so his Federal uniform not only separated him from the crowd; it kept him separate.  He wore the Correctional uniform as if it were an armor of protection against the people he had sworn to protect rather than an instrument of protection for them.  The man’s uniform however, couldn’t shield him from the incessant mendacity spewing forth from the auctioneer’s van speakers.  He heard something unsettling, slouched slightly and nervously shifted from one foot to another then regained his composure so quickly that his demeanor went unnoticed by all but one.  Stone-faced, he turned and paced away as if he were still inside the Penitentiary making rounds.

She too was alone.  It was the Officer’s eyes on his turnaround that really uncovered the truth behind the hardened exterior.  They told her a cloudy blue story of a once vibrant, trusting man presently immersed in weltscherz.  Now that she’d noticed him, her interest was piqued.  The problem was he’d been so self-absorbed that he hadn’t noticed her.