On the surface...

As I sit and observe the people passing by,

I wonder what they are feeling,

What adventures for them life has cast,

Many are in a hurry and appear stern as they pass,

Rushing to get to their shopping,

And to their homes return.

There is little indication,

Of being happy and fulfilled,

Or caught up in the problems,

That life has in their pathway instilled,

What burdens do they carry?

What challenges have their minds filled?

Could they be individuals of importance,

In the future to be revealed,

What are they really like on the inside,

Behind the features that are displayed,

What special stories they carry,

And fantastic achievements made?

The qualities of character, love, and kindness,

That define the inner person that they are,

Is it sitting just below the surface?

Or buried that few can see their shining star,

Do they have a warmth for people?

Do they love to share?

Are the bursting with happiness

Or weighted down with despair,

Do they carry a hidden illness?

Or have they suffered grief through loss,

When we see the outside,

We do not know what lay within,

We know not where they have been

Or how it has affected them.

Will I ever meet them?

As we travel life’s way,

If not today perhaps tomorrow

Which ushers in a new day.

Neil Schiller 24 July 2020