i hope my words are strange and wondrous,

like kisses that quiet all things superfluous,

so that we can all stop and

listen

and so i'm sitting here,

on the steps of a busy street.

my inspiration playlist is on,

so are a pair of sunglasses, flipflops and my summer shorts.

i know a few steps away indoors is a lively game of Bang.

a phone call away is a dear friend.

across the street is youth in full swing

and every minute, stories go by.

they go on bicycles, in cars, or gaily on foot,

in all manner of clothing.

my mind has been heavy the past few days,

as usual this here is my refuge.

maybe i'll never amount to anything big.

but at least,

i hope i've made sunshine somewhere.

it's hard to go it alone,

when people don't tell you about you.

which is why,

i've decided to let people i love know how much i love them.

for encouragement is a dying art in a world

that only knows how to tear each other down.

one of the most memorable lessons i've learned this year,

is that everybody needs love, and faith, and strength.

and that includes me.

no matter how strong i think i can be.

and i've discovered how many times this year,

i've reached out for a hand and grasped only air.

and swallow the bitter pill of disappointment, knowing people are people.

and yet,

i also remember the countless times i've not held out my hand,

and felt instead the warm embrace of a comforter,

the silent sympathy of a friend,

a tissue tucked into my clenched fingers.

and be overwhelmed, by the beauty of the most precious form of relationship.

--

i wish i were a bird,

then i'd fly away.

and take the many thoughts

that fall through

even these carefully remembered sentences,

with me.

but things don't work this way.

and the silence remains,

a heavy barrier of what-if,

of later and maybe-tomorrow.

between two people looking,

and two people looking... at each other.