Look The Other Way

Your eyes held empathy

I feel melting in my chest

days later

while I pretend

to be alright for everybody else

who knows me better

but never understood that

calls and texts

fail to convey meaning

in the way you become bridge

without effort

without words

This nondescript chance meeting

anything but

reduces my lifetower of painstakingly placed emotions

to shattered building blocks in seconds

Unnerved recognition

accuses me of incompetence

in every relationship

I’ve ever had

And I question my learning methods

quality of training

and how I got this far

this wrong

And why do we accept such mediocre friends

a threadbare concealment

for acquaintances as standard

with ‘by skin of teeth’ associates

inside hallowed hearts of us

out of place and tedious

but too polite to say

Living grew urgency

after you stared at me

Strangled breath beneath inadequacy

Flailing pathetic attempts at self-love

in the enormity of life

I have left

And should I never gaze upon you again

my vision will forever blur

unfiltered views of humanity

beyond skin

and projections of wholesomeness

in kind

Awakened confirmation

that in truth

I am the one who has been revealed

Therefore

duty binds me

to renaissance the old ways

and revere

souls

Remarkable unrepeatable

souls

You have ventured this far to read my scribblings, and I will remain ever grateful to you for doing so, as it is incredibly supportive.

Thank you for being the gift that keeps on giving!