Poem: To Be Seen

Being noticed is not the same as being seen
or at least
it is not the same as being truthfully seen.

If I only notice you,
then I would only catch pieces or glimpses of who you are.
If I only notice you,
then I might only see the
obvious things
like the color of your hair or maybe your eyes

but I would never have the chance
to know anything deeper than your surface.

If I only notice, then I would miss out on all of the details
that make you spectacular.

However, if I were to see you
(I mean truthfully see you)
then I would see everything there is to see,
and if I were to look closely,
then I would even see the secrets,
which you tried to hide
but no longer need to

I would understand why you smile
when we pass the city bridges

I would know why your eyes sparkle
when you think about long walks from St. Mark’s Place
to Bleecker Street.

In order to see you
(I mean really see you)
I would look beyond the obvious,
and learn everything there is to learn.

I would know why the autumn moon
brings back the memories of your childhood,and that
when the ground is covered with fresh blankets of snow;
I would know you love how the full moon brightens the ground
enough to reflect backwards into the nighttime sky.

I have this memory that I keep.
I keep it close and I wrap myself with it whenever
the times seem to lose its warmth.

I shut my eyes and I remember a small cottage.
I remember the sound of the fireplace crackling;
I remember the firelight and the way it caused your shadow
to flicker against the wall.

Outside, the wintertime pulled tis trick.
The snow on the ground was thick and heavy.
The moon was as bright as I had ever seen
and there was no one around for miles.

See?
Being noticed is not the same thing as being seen.

How do I know?

because I can see you . . .