« Ellen Fuchs » STIGMA All eyes averted Anywhere but on the spot You occupy as no one Wants to look mortality In the face Better to stare At what's comfortable Like a speck of dust On the floor While thinking you got What you deserve For making one mistake Or no mistake at all Judged by standards That make others feel better In their own skin While struggling to live In yours. Ellen Fuchs is a poet from Rego Park, NY. She taught elementary school for several years and now does volunteer work. Her poems have appeared in the NEW YORK TIMES:METROPOLITAN DIARY, the AUROREAN, FALLING STAR, and other small presses. Poetry has been her avocation for over thirty years.