The Waiting
I don’t remember what I was waiting for—
maybe I was waiting for
hearts to open,
eyes to see,
ears to hear …
maybe hope to appear,
love to grow and flow over
these dividing walls.
But I know I was waiting on others …
And I waited until I felt the air begin to chill
and until I saw the sky darken.
Hope was fading with the light.
I stood to touch a feather falling without a purpose,
waiting to see if I could hold on to the feeling of
it’s flight to me.
But as I stepped forward,
I felt a new hope—
a chance to leave this waiting place
and journey forward to find my own flight,
my own purpose—
to plant the love I was waiting to grow—
to open my own eyes
to the beauty of the world
I had ignored while I waited—
to hear the hopes in the songs
that I had tuned out through my own indifference.
I stepped out of the shadows
and walked
and danced
and sang
and loved
and felt more alive
and wondered why
I was ever
waiting for you.
--Chris Pepple ©2017