terrypetersen

It takes courage to be kind. Maya Angelou


ONE MOMENT’S LIGHT 

“Hi, how are you?” 
I almost ask an old neighbor 
passing from the pasta aisle 
to canned fruits and vegetables.
The expected answer is, “Doing fine,”
whether the individual celebrates a new birth
or news of a terminal illness.
Instead, I call out his name and say,
“Hello, good to see you.”
And the friend stops. For five minutes.
Sacred moments. A chance to open a smile
into places where worry or fear
can thrive. The evening news 
bites through bodies and souls with war, 
destruction, disease, political distraction.
Too large a burden. Four syllables—good to see you.
opens one moment of light.