A Kindred Soul

Her thin mouth twisted in a rictus
of offended disdain, she speaks
quietly but with the authority of
one entitled to her views through
the lens of her former profession
as a teacher of 'juvenile delinquents'
as she puts it so eloquently,
skilled at defying the civility of
social convention, precocious
little monsters whose parents simply
passed their own social consciences
to their offspring. Nothing short of
scandalous that society has such
shallow values, that illiteracy has
soared because everyone is fixated
on electronic devices and the
pitiful facade of social engagement
sites rampant with celebrity worship
and rank hypocrisy. The more enraged
she becomes as she speaks during our
chance encounter, the quieter and
more deadly becomes her voice in
stark condemnation of all that 
represents the social system and
peoples' flaccid priorities, a total
failure of community and  values
where commerce rules, humanity
its disciples. And while I may agree
on many of these points, I'm aghast
at the venom of her expression and
wonder what it is about me that enabled
her to identify me as a kindred soul.