{"id":740,"date":"2025-07-29T17:55:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T17:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/2025\/07\/29\/fragments-of-frost-and-fire-episode-13-walk-on-by-society-2\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T23:05:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T23:05:02","slug":"fragments-of-frost-and-fire-episode-13-walk-on-by-society-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/2025\/07\/29\/fragments-of-frost-and-fire-episode-13-walk-on-by-society-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Fragments of Frost and Fire – Episode 13 – Walk-On-By Society"},"content":{"rendered":"

 Sometimes a passing phrase cuts through the noise of the day and stays with you. I recently came across a video shared by @modelstrangers on Threads<\/a>, where a man\u2014soft-spoken but resolute\u2014spoke about the loneliness we often feel even when surrounded by millions, and the deep importance of respecting every person, no matter their role in society.<\/p>\n

His words reminded me of how easy it is to walk past others without truly seeing them. And how powerful it can be when we choose to see. This poem was born from that moment of reflection.<\/p>\n

Walk-On-By Society<\/strong><\/h1>\n

\n

Millions of footsteps echo,<\/div>\n
side by side,<\/div>\n
but hearts pass like shadows\u2014<\/div>\n
unseen, untouched,<\/div>\n
eyes fixed forward,<\/div>\n
never meeting yours.<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

\n

In the crowd,<\/div>\n
you could scream,<\/div>\n
and still be<\/div>\n
an empty whisper.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
P<\/span><\/span>hoto by <\/span><\/span>Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz : https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/elderly-man-with-a-broom-and-a-dustpan-19408637\/<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

\n

This is a walk-on-by world,<\/div>\n
where silence is safer<\/div>\n
than kindness,<\/div>\n
where pain is private<\/div>\n
and everyone is “fine.”<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

\n

But listen\u2014<\/div>\n
never underestimate the quiet ones,<\/div>\n
the bent-back man with a broom,<\/div>\n
the woman washing windows<\/div>\n
with the sunrise in her eyes.<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

\n

They carry whole galaxies in their silence.<\/div>\n
They remember who says thank you,<\/div>\n
and who doesn’t look twice.<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

\n

The world has tilted toward indifference,<\/div>\n
but you\u2014<\/div>\n
you can tilt it back.<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

\n

\n

Look up.<\/div>\n
See them.<\/div>\n
See each other.<\/div>\n
And bow, even just a little,<\/div>\n
to the worth in every life<\/div>\n
you walk by.<\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

 Sometimes a passing phrase cuts through the noise of the day and stays with you. I recently came across a video shared by @modelstrangers on Threads, where a man\u2014soft-spoken but resolute\u2014spoke about the loneliness we often feel even when surrounded by millions, and the deep importance of respecting every person, no matter their role in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":741,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","slim_seo":{"title":"Fragments of Frost and Fire - Episode 13 - Walk-On-By Society - Lawrence Nault","description":" Sometimes a passing phrase cuts through the noise of the day and stays with you. I recently came across a video shared by @modelstrangers on Threads , whe"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[230,229,221,222,228,231,224,46,226,223,102,227,225],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dignity","category-everyday-people","category-free-verse","category-human-connection","category-inspired-by-video","category-kindness","category-loneliness","category-poetry","category-reflections","category-respect","category-social-commentary","category-street-wisdom","category-urban-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=740"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/740\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":742,"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/740\/revisions\/742"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}