to be a stranger – 

is all you’re taught to be,

is all you’ll ever be,

among voices of solitude upheld

to be no more than just a turn to sorrow,

glancing straight up towards the pain of others 

through eyes shadowed by those tears

withheld not, so as to forget the moments,

when the right path seemed to follow you,

along steps taken to undo –

not errors, not regrets, nor torments

but a will forgotten in plain sight –

to notice depth over the breadth

of words unclosing into faith,

as budding hopes unfolding into fright,

on day one of another life

that started as a calling,

to bring together all that’s lingering

within, without, withholden.

(inspired by the sounds of ‘Path 19’, by Max Richter)