The boy that everyone knew
is only a stranger to me.
His warm friendly voice - and spirit
is something I will never know.
When he smiled, the corridors were lit.
Like an angel from heaven
he spread his fluorescence amongst them
but I will never feel his glow.
Like a pole he towered above us.
His walk was crooked, but graceful.
His ears oversized, but sweet.
Only, I never saw it.
When he spoke, he was noticed
the girls melted, like heated butter.
The boys laughed, proud to be a friend
There was no pretense, just him.
I could have come to love him,
as a friend like the others.
To talk to him innocently in the passages.
Only, I did not want to.
Why not? He was so inspirational.
You could tell by his wise words.
In his brilliant, sincere optimism.
Even in his cheerful "Good morning".
But somehow he became different.
Even I, the stranger, could tell.
he seemed to descend in life,
like for once, he was the fallen angel.
He wasn't tall anymore.
He was an ant, avoiding being trod on.
His walk was crooked.
His ears were oversized.
All he had was stolen from him.
His happiness was deprived.
His emptiness crowded him.
He's podium had been slashed, bit by bit.
Yet, for once I saw him.
I did not see through him anymore.
Somehow, to me, he was not pretending
This was him, this was his life, he was real.
When he walked, all alone,
I yearned to speak to him.
To tell him that it would be okay.
That he would overcome this hurdle.
But my cowardice stopped me.
He was great, and I was beneath him.
So I never did it,
I never got to know him.
Still. The blow hit me hard,
like a knife through my mortal chest.
How was it possible,
to weep for someone you never knew?
To him, I was simply just 'there',
and to me, so was he,
but he was still there,
he still filled a significant space in life.
Now, he is nothing but a forgotten name,
a patch of grass in a place of death,
a memory held in the hearts of those who loved him,
and a broken soul who needed more time to heal.
If only I had spoken to him.
If only his angelic glow had graced me
and touched my life with his kind words,
so that he was no longer just 'there'
If only I could see him just once,
so that I could reverse those days
that he walked all alone, so I could speak to him,
but I never will.
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Submission Name: The Boy I Never Knew
