glimpse

I watched him watch me for ten years,

more than a decade younger than me,

deep brown eyes like a child’s, like the night sky.

I watched him watch me without knowing his name,

occasionally catching glances of bone-depth

recognition from another lifetime—or many.

I watched him watch me as my children grew

and my marriage shrank, my life

shedding away in layers like a snake.

I watched him watch me as I stepped into the fire

and reclaimed my power, and, unlike almost everyone else,

felt him draw closer to the flame.

Then one day I gathered my courage

and watched him back,

and instead of seeing what was inside of him

he reflected back what was inside of me—

light, eternity, the birth of a star.

Like the eyes of a child.

Like the night sky.