THEY

I have never seen or met

the phantoms of the street,

the cognoscenti hidden inside

elaborate ceremonial robes,

try to spot them when

browsing at the zoo,

speculate they might exist

only on a distant planet.

On walks I peek behind trees,

inside trash bins,

glance over my shoulder,

beyond the next turn.

Nobody there.

I hear their certainty

quoted as in “They say that…”

much like the fictional,

“We find that…”

I strive to read between the lines,

watch for clues in classified ads,

the subliminal in TV commercials,

look forward to shaking

their ethereal hands –

“they,” who must really be

somebody to know all that.

Aristotle called an appeal

to invisible experts a fallacy –

self-appointed authorities

with the inside scoop:

“They,” of the secret society

of the last word.