The Reason

She leaned against a wall

and watched as people hurried through

the unusually frigid December wind:

bombarded by ice crystals that

were the emissaries of a blizzard:

a subway motorman clutched his hat

everyone was racing for warmth underground:

an expensively dressed woman saw her pearls

bouncing and re-entered the sudden fear she

had noticed before:  she wanted to avoid other

women, especially those with blue eyes:  she

entered a restaurant, tried to eat, but could

hear other blue eyed women embroiled in argument:

she choked, vomited her food.  She ran outside

leaving the warmth of her blue coat.