‘Hello’

With the autumn bud, i have run my eyes across your being. The lines in your forehead, your worrying eyes, your moulded nose, your brown lips and your scraggy beard.

In December it was your bald head, your brown skin.

My popular stranger, more friendly than not.

And while i have to admit that there is nothing more weird than writing to you, I am at a loss of media to express myself.

What is this change and where does it come from?

In months of close reflection, I noticed you stood in front of windows for God awful long periods. Distant, analysing the world from that limited outlet of pane. You said you were in thought, but I know that you cried. Because you are of such proud composition that you would not let the tears drop.

What are your thoughts?

But there you go, smiling and cheering up your peers.

Because you once said:

‘No matter the condition one should always afford a smile’

I thought that was sad.  As it is the mechanism you use to shield yourself from all our love.

In latter years I noticed that you wanted the best for all of us and there was no one more caring than you.

But in the harsh months around when the flood hit, the times reflected your mood.  Without regard you conducted your manners and your friends suffered. Your cruelty had no bounds and no one heard from you for months. Only in these passed few weeks have i come to realise that your heart was ill.

And because your face never gave away your fears those actions appeared extra cruel.

And you are a hypocrite, for how in times of worry do you say:

‘Everything will be alright’

When you don’t believe in it.

In all this i realise that you are a human being, faulty like the rest of us.

In the early hours of this mourning i had to reach out to you.

‘Hello stranger’

‘And no matter how far it is you go in whatever, don’t go too far’

‘We are here’

With that i wipe the mirror as the steam from hot showers clouds the vision.