Dear _____,

    look--
    at first, we're merely strangers
    who happen to see one another
    despite all the degrees of separation;
    yet a simple glance or a subtle hand,
    reminds us to keep our doors open--
    across oceans, borders, state lines,
    sometimes a simple hello
    can feel something close to destiny--
    let me read the amber laced in your eyes
    so i can trace where each injury fossilized;
    you can follow the lines etched in my palms
    until they turn blue at the wrist--
    and then let the tears come,
    because what are they other than proof
    that you're still here?
    i offer my hands in the hope
    you will give me yours to hold,
    a silent promise and constant reminder
    that in all the possibilities
    contained within each day,
    i count myself lucky
    to share them with you--
    no matter who you are
    or where i am
    or what becomes of us
    after all the years--
    all it took was to look.

Originally written 07-10-2025

Accomanying music: Merry-Go-Round of Life by Joe Hisaishi