the present

i want you to see kindness 

in these eyes, 

to know what it feels like 

to be heard— 

i want to be the kind of person 

who keeps silence, 

who knows how to hold tears 

 in the spirit of tenderness— 

let’s enter the silence together— 

i will be the one to remind you 

you are not alone 

i will be your friend—

i cannot take away your pain, 

the betrayals you have borne, 

the sense of abandonment—

i cannot erase the many years 

you waited for god to show up— 

i cannot answer the one prayer 

you have made countless times— 

i wish i could do all of this and more 

but i can’t 

this one thing i do know: 

i can take time to be with you, 

i can train my eyes to see you, 

i can offer a warm heart 

in a cold world— 

i can join you 

in whispering softly 

over the embers of faith— 

i will watch in wonder 

when the light quickens in you— 

i will be someone who notices 

the reflection of grace in your eyes— 

and i believe you 

will see it, too. 

…………………… 

the present 

by troy cady