I Saw Me

In her face I saw
Years of life experience
And the heartbreak of loss.

Through his inability to speak
I heard the loneliness
Of his life lived in the shadows.

I was broken by the smile
Of a child that never truly
Reached her eyes.

Even through the sorrow
She offered a thank you
He replied with a wish of peace
And I was gifted the wink of acceptance.

As I turned and caught my reflection
In the glare of those I served
I saw fear in the eyes staring back at me.
I felt the loss of a life held together
Only by a thread of promise.

In those eyes…
I saw me.

Copyright 2016 Brooke Lee