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author’s note:

Did this event actually happen?

Yes.  Maybe times.  In different ways.


SIGNS OF HIGHER LIFE

As I wait to cross the blaring street
in the glare of a summer’s day
I feel the urge to elevate above
the dull feeling of the mundane.

So I search for signs of higher life—

maybe someone
in this swarming sweating crowd
shines with the beatific beauty
that comes from within.

But in so many faces I find walls.

The same wall I see in my own face
when I spot my image
on the lens of someone’s sunglasses.

Maybe I built that wall to hide
how I struggle to deal
with all the stuff
this life stuffs into our lives.

Suddenly I feel compassion
for all those people
who like me, struggle behind walls.

Overwhelmed
by that wave of emotion
I lower my head
and prop myself against a lamp post.

In the next moment
someone asks me:
Are you alright?

A show of empathy.
A wall has fallen.
For a moment, at least.

Thanks.  Don’t worry—I’m quite alright.
I answer.

Encouraged
by the concern of a stranger
then I walk on.

Though my wall only fell
for a moment
in that moment
I found the beauty
of two human spirits
and got the lift I needed
on a glaring summer’s day.