When you first meet someone
Take stock of any burdens they carry
And if you listen only to one thing:
Listen to how they see the world.
If their load is light
And they see a world of wonder and possibility
Then they will see that wonder and that possibility in you.
There is a world in every soul
A vast lake
With the smoothest mirror surface
It sings with monster depths and bounces each stroke of sky colour
Few will have the courage to dive into your world.
Unless they see possibility, they will simply sit still
And gaze at their reflection:
Defining your world by the reflection of their own visage.
Remember this when you first meet.
For if you choose to get close:
Their burden will become yours
Their neuroses, your slow and rueful task
And their world, your path.
