[205] Becoming You

I was looking for you

and found a pair of worn out shoes

buried beneath some boxes

calling out to me.

Boxes from a lifetime,

so important to be held

but now I can't remember

what’s hidden inside

and if you’d still find them—

worthy to hold.

Do you still want them?

Do they carry past tales still needing to tell?

Or have they been replaced with new ones,

telling tales from a different space?

Oh the laughter we shared,

still echos across the floors.

You, always ready with a light, deep touch,

a smile so wide, and sparkling eyes,

making me smile, making me proud,

there was no time for fears or wondering how.

And then I turned and opened the door,

hoping to see you and hold you some more,

but only found walls and the rhythm

of a bygone song.

But wait,

there you are, today,

across time and place.

And my heart still beats,

and my eyes do blossom,

as you learn, cry, smile, and grow,

overcoming fears and redesigning your how,

pushing through, becoming a new song,

evolving to be sung,

there's so much more to come,

against the steady thrum of rain

and the brilliance of the sun.