I have a love for sitting in busy places where people pass by,
where faces and phases are masked and disguised
with smiles that lie
and words of "I'm fine."

My head fills with wonder of their trials and their triumphs,
of the times they've suffered and the moments they've succumbed
to pressures, temptations,
and occasions that needed patience.

I gaze with awe, curious of their stories,
their wins and defeats, and pains that they carried.
Lives so beautifully woven by God's graceful fingers,
my heart they've stolen, I doubt they even figure.

Lovely people, they don't even know.
It breaks my heart that their value's unknown
to family, friends,
and those with whom they need to make amends.

Most of all, they don't know themselves
of their strength, their power,
of their bravery and valor.

So here's to you, you reading this line:
Pursue, push through, take this as a sign.
Believe it or not, you are perfectly designed.

*—S.C., February 5, 2014 (latest edit: February 25, 2014)