Day 224: Small Kindnesses

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∴

i was a girl,
once.

that’s me there,
scooped up in swinging screams.

i was laughing too, i’m sure.

it never took much to make me smile
but i never much smiled for smiling’s sake;

i was too busy watching.

everyone was so big –
i remember thinking they all had some secret knowledge
on how to live life
and succeed.

i remember thinking
that if i watched long enough
and with enough intention
i would gain this secret knowledge

so i kept watching
i kept watching.

do you know,
the only thing i remember seeing
is every person
that met my gaze
and didn’t see a child?

i remember thinking
that it was in their company –
or because of it –
that i could be anything.

those small kindnesses
have lasted
decades.

they grow,
like children,
inside.

∴

 

 

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