To Open

To Open

To open your heart, 

First, open your eyes. 

A man is strolling through the park, 

In a blue checkered shirt 

Books tucked under his arm, 

Beagle at his heels.

A teen walks back home from a sports meet 

Sipping sweet green tea,

A bag and a hockey stick slung over his shoulder, 

Kicking up the scorched earth with black sneakers.

Two figures sit on the grass, eyes fixated on the horizon 

As the evening swallows up the marmalade-colored sky,

They soak up each other’s presence.

Despite their silence, their eyes smile.

To open your heart, 

First, listen to the world.

A gray-haired man stands facing the lake 

He breathes out music, lets the notes linger on his tongue

The melody hangs in the frigid winter air, 

And for just a moment, the song is alive.

Two girls chatter at the door of a coffee shop, 

Between them hang the tangled strands of earbuds.

They stand enveloped by rosy perfume and ambitions,

And dreams of conquering the world. 

A child squeals as her brother pushes the swing

High-pitched and sweet, like a little bird 

Her red-booted feet wiggling soundlessly as she soars,

And in her, you see yourself from all those years ago. 

To open your heart, 

First, open your soul.