What I Saw

I saw a child in a grocery basket

Singing in the produce section

And I smiled at the cheerfulness

Of children.

I saw a white crane perched on a dead tree

At peace in a pond at the golf course

And I wanted to stand with it

In the sunshine.

I saw an old man with a cane

Hunched over and walking wearily

And I thought how nice if I could

Carry him to his destination.

I saw a woman sitting at the bus stop

In the cold, her face covered with a scarf

And I thought how selfish when I complain

My car heater takes so long to get warm.

I saw a couple kissing in the parking lot

With shopping bags resting beside them

And I reveled in how love often ignores

Its surroundings and blooms fearlessly.

I saw teens volunteering at an SPCA stand

Outside the mall, warmly holding and petting

Dogs and cats and chatting with customers

And I thought we don’t give teens enough credit.

I saw the sun setting gloriously as I left work

The colors stunning and mysterious

And I considered how lovely the world is

In the dwindling light of the day.

The Unclad Soul