I just smiled at a young man in the tram passing mine
the things you do in the eternity of a city train
stopping at a random station
two thick glass windows separating us
but that won’t keep a smile from making its way
from heart to heart
the edges of his lips were pointing to the ground
his cheek smudged against
his palm
resting his elbow on the dusty ledge
maybe lost in a rap song piercing his ears
only listening to it so he doesn’t have to open
the window to his soul
scared of what it might let in
or worse, what it might let out
I caught a glimpse of him
thinking he would stare at me
so I looked away, fast fast
but he didn’t look at me
he looked through me
his eyes were far far away
lost in an emptiness, so painfully familiar
so I took ahold of his stare
stared back in a way that makes folks
uncomfortable
but I wasn’t
I was simply looking at this being
two dirty sheets of glass and maybe four feet away
admiring his state
meeting his energy
greeting it like a gentle sun-ray touching your face
a jolt made him see me too
he sits up straight
“oh no I was caught in being lost”
but then he feels the peace
that was there all along
so he sinks into softness
and with no prompt
no script
unplanned
we smile
I like to think that my smile said this:
hey you, you’re being seen, you’re not alone
it’s ok to be lost and scared
it’s tempting to shut down, I know
but this peace
this love
is here
always
thank you, for letting me see you open up that
window
I’ll always be here
and our trains went off
in opposite directions
and we lost each other’s gaze
and we are going to stay in it
forever
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