The Intimacy Of Distance

Sometimes to be yourself it seems

A friend just will not do,

For one may fear a friend will know

About the real you.

And so when one must tell the truth

With all its hidden dangers

One turns to find one’s solace

In the waiting ears of strangers.

And yet in sharing what you are

With someone you don’t know,

In starting with the basic stuff

And moving far too slow

You find that what you hoped for

Is alive and omnipresent

And that a world that judged you

Now appears… could it be pleasant?

Did you see the sun came out

And know that fruit is sweet

And music’s free for everyone

And smiles fill the street?

Sometimes just to be yourself

Needs strength you do not feel

So thank God for the strangers

And the ways they help us heal.