I saw him.
But quickly turned away-
from the tears that appeared oddly placed.
Proportions of strength mingled with unspoken fears,
Unfathered promises,
that broke through the makeshift shield of boldness.
I might have seen him there.
Lingering between becoming and failure,
Halting memories of
childhoods lost in the fires of being
a stoic shadow of self
a notion of boldness unrealized.
I couldn’t have seen him,
balancing expectation with
the weight of unearned priviliges,
falling under,
whimpering,
and weak?
I never saw.
