Me Again

I thought I saw you,

only for a moment,

passing me by

on the street.

At first I thought,

it couldn’t be,

as you were decades ago.

 

Then I remembered

that this world,

is not always

what it seems,

and sometimes

the impossible happens.

 

I thought about it

after a while.

Long gone you were,

and so was I.

If I could stop you,

what would I tell you?

What could I tell you

about your life?

 

The hard times coming?

The joys,

the sorrows,

or the tough times,

harder still?

Would I tell you

that days were coming

that were going

to test your will?

 

What could I give

this impossible encounter

that would help you,

make you strong

and not derail you

from the path that you are on?

 

Patience?

Love?

Hard work?

Discipline?

Yes,

all of these,

but most importantly,

I would tell you to stop,

turn around,

and face me.

 

I am you.

You are me.

Stop running,

and face the pain.

It’s the only way

to be sure

it won’t happen again.

 

These words

are not wasted,

even though they

were never spoken.

I am you,

and you are gone.

The spell is broken.

 

That young man,

lost to time,

now wonders

what he would say

to the younger version

of himself

that he saw

the other day.

Those words

were something

that he needed

anyway.

 

 

HG – 2020