Annoying

A child too quiet.

I saw a child so quiet,
not even a year old,
on a rainy day.

His mum was fumbling
with her bag and money,
holding her baby
like a new mother does.

The child stared at me,
and I made a face
to make him laugh
or crack a smile.

But the child blinked away,
too quiet.
He looked away,
and looked back at me.

He didn’t giggle,
make small voices,
or cry like other
children his age.

His lips looked
as if they are sealed,
and his eyes were blank.

I wonder if people
noticed how quiet
he was, for such
a small child.

Or were they just happy
that the child
wasn’t being irksome
anymore?

I think about
that child so often.
I hope he gets to
be a child.

I hope he can
laugh and cry,
as much as he wants,
and as much as he can.

In a world
where a child
being a child
is too annoying.