I’ve seen her walking

down the street

in that confident, smiling way.

Her head held high,

her bouncing stride

holding nothing back

of the surge inside

her chest.

 

A pounding heart

sounds on

repeat:

thump and thump,

again

and

again.

 

I’ve seen her sitting

in the shop

sipping coffee with a pen

slipped within her hand,

a notebook open to the page

of tears

and fears,

the caged-in beat

of her words seeking light.

 

I’m alone, she writes.

I’m afraid, I’m uneasy.

I have the desires

the plans

the needs, they consume me.

 

I’ve seen her running

’round the lakes,

her bouncing stride

matching step

with the tunes in her ears,

and the depth

in her eyes

catching meaning

in autumn’s

sweet fall.

 

The trees are my home,

she thinks

as she runs:

They flock the streets

and cling

to my name

with the whisper

of leaves

left behind.

 

I’ve seen her,

I know her,

she walks about town.

She’s alive and alone.