And I Saw Her Face Poem by Uriah Hamilton

I was lost on back streets at dusk
and confused by accusatory voices of strangers;
I was met by secret intermediaries
at dark temples of mistrust;
a priest told me it was expedient for my soul
to repent of harsh sentiments toward the feminine
and the desire to maintain control.

I was incriminated by a petty thief
for absconding with holy water from the sanctuary
when I was desolate and dying of thirst;
I made alliances with pirates of pride
and co-defendants struck down and dead inside;
I had an affinity for black marble stormy skies
and languishing girls with cemetery eyes.

A crippled child comforting his homeless mother
told me if I wanted to I could survive;
I loitered for days in loneliness beside a fresh grave
reciting poetry and prayers to resurrect my potential;
I was reverential in the rain for the tears of another lifetime.

I was afforded the protection of love
while friends were terrorized and denied
by people who should have kindly kissed their eyes;
I spent summer solstice guided by an inner light,
met a girl at the university who gave me her bracelet in the night
and revealed a path forward if I only had the courage to begin my journey.