You'Re There Poem by Rebecca Paul

You were right there. Standing,
hands in your pockets, like nothing could hurt you.
Defiance palpable in the air you breathed.
Your back straight and your eyes so skeptically open
that if I didn't look closely, I’d swear they were closed.

You were so close. Leaning,
skin warm and taut, close enough to leave me trembling in your wake.
Rebellion rocked in the earth around you.
Smoke is always a substitute for air, and your
smile could never quite meet your eyes.

You were so tired. Listening,
mind open and walls up, always listening for pretty words.
Confidence almost shaking now in your bones.
A head full of curls, and a mouth full of codes
trapped so solidly as to not tarnish your tongue.

You were so alone. Talking,
people constantly surround you, about stories you never want to forget.
Rich, devilish words seasoned in your descriptions.
Your voice stimulates my mind’s starving curiosity, and
echoes inside the nucleus of my being.

You were so lost. Running,
middle fingers locked in place, toward everything that scared you.
A bark of contempt for anyone in sight.
Drink it in, breathe it in, take it off, but
always keep your heart on ice.

You were so broken. Tearing,
with wings of gold, through the waste of the human life.
A force so unstoppable it weakened my heart.
Your soul was on fire, and in the midst of the flames,
I saw you. You were never really there.