“Don’t open your eyes too wide,

Or you’ll never be able to close them again”

Words spoken by a short man

On a rooftop during a sunset

At sixteen you think you know it all

Passing time both slow and fast

Wearing words like my favorite robe

Dripping over every inch of skin

Trying to find their way in

An invisible tattoo that brands you

Altering the meaning

Until they’re something

That feels brand new

If I had taken the advice

Deciding to stay in the dark

To the atrocities in this world

I wonder if I’d be a different girl

Choosing blindness to the horror

That continues to occur

Every day we inhabit this earth

A life changing conversation

With a homeless man named Matt

Who appeared suddenly

In my moments of need

Just to then leave

With no trace left behind

Your story I’ve carried

For all of this time

I wish you knew how brightly

You always shined

And how our long talks

Altered my perception

For the rest of my life

I’m sorry that they left you behind

You were my earth Angel

Who kept me alive

An entire dictionary of words

Could never define

The gratitude I’ve held inside

If you’re ever faced with a choice

Always pick being kind

You never know the impact

Of words you leave behind