The Stranger

The Stranger

I met a stranger along the way,

Very shy with little or nothing to say.

Walking with me from dawn’s first light,

Until evening’s goodbyes into the night.

Their words were few, a hello now and then,

Yet I knew there was more but didn’t know when.

They watched me as I stumbled along,

Offering no help just hummed a soft song.

They saw me when I awakened ‘ore the years,

But never mentioned there would be tears.

In my solitude, they stood in the distance,

Watching and waiting but offering no assistance.

I turn to look at them now more often,

Seeing the age lines, the eyes softened.

The mirror before me has nothing to hide,

But to reflect the stranger on the other side.

They smile at me and grin a tight grin,

Knowing that tomorrow we’ll do it all again.

For to know oneself with all of one’s imperfections,

Is to understand that stranger in the reflection.

For: Astrid