My Friend, How He Gleams

My friend was sparkling
Yesterday morning as we talked
Over coffee, side by side
One day before he was to set out again 

Watching him shimmer
For one simple hour of warm comfort
He gleamed in a way that told me
His world was so very right
That chilly spring morning 

Another hug and well wishes
Heading home alone
I reflected 

I’ve only known him
For not even a full turn of the earth
Such a small flicker of all his breaths
A fraction of all his thoughts
But looking back on this small window
I was suddenly struck
Realizing

As far as I could see
He’s never really stopped
Setting one foot in front in front of the other
Keeping one eye fixed on the future, searching
The other shifting between future and past
Past and present
Present and future
Shifting, shifting
But somehow at each arrival
Standing solidly in place
Even where, should I ever find myself
I could only imagine collapse 
And now, I cannot imagine
Him ever being any other way

Wherever his heart takes him
At any given moment
Wherever he is
There he is
There he simply is
Strong, stable
With that enviable calm focus
That enviable wisdom

I want to stand as he stands
I want to glow like him 

Taking a step back
Trying to see a bigger picture
The shifting footprints, on closer inspection
Maybe they’re not always quite aligned
There’s something else there
One needs to take a wide view to see 
Something that suggests the uncertainty
Of one seeking in unfamiliar territory
On a new path
Yet still with a forward stride 
Determined 
He continues to seek 
And so he will find 

As I watch the footprints veer off 
Into yet another great adventure 
I have to wonder
If he’ll gleam even brighter
On his return
If the footprints back in his homeland
Will be a falling in a line just as determined
But now a little more focused
A little more steady than before

As I gaze at the trail of footprints 
Seeing where it loses its rhythm
Just a little bit at times 
I wish I could be a guide
Or a crutch to help support the weight
But seeing the points where it straightens
I’m taken back to his brightness yesterday 
And remembering this   
I retire for the evening with a smile 
Knowing he’s finding his way  
And as my thoughts begin to drift away  
Into a comforted sleep  
I can’t help but wonder
If I could ever learn
How to sparkle like him

March 30, 2025