Dark Green Gaze

There he is again.
Kneeling on the hard, grey cement that has been traversed by who knows how many feet.
His hands outstretched, eyes searching.
As hundreds, no thousands, of people whiz by.
His pace. Still.
Being here is his job, his survival.
The others barely notice.
If they do, it is with a quick glance, only causing them to increase their speed.

As I walk by him, we meet eyes.
Deep, dark green eyes, tired eyes, gaze up at me.
Keeping me frozen in mid-stride, he whispers,
“Will you take me home with you?”

A nervous smile sweeps across my face as I look away and hurry on.
My heart feels tense, closing around a soft spot rarely revealed.
I want to forget, but his gaze has taken residence as memory in mind.

What I wish I could do now is kneel down beside him,
Along with my unsure breath.
I wish I could nod my head, take him in, understand.
No, I won’t take him home with me,
But surely I can meet him in our shared humanity.
Maybe, I can even look out onto the sidewalk the same way he does.
Seeing the hundreds, no thousands, of people whizzing by.
Maybe, if just for this moment, we can be together and remember the home of belonging.

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