I sat across from a man, while he looked at me, directly into my eyes. I didn't know him, all that I knew about him was that his name was Steve.
He took my hands one at a time, and and held mine in his. His touch was soft and gentle. He sat there silent, our knees touching, just looking directly into my eyes, never looking away, totally undistracted.
He asked me...
What do you want?
He didn't look away. A few moments passed and he asked me again.
What do you want?
Again, he never looked away. I looked directly into his eyes. He asked me again.
What do you want?
He was totally focused on me, waiting for me to speak, never taking his eyes off mine. His hands felt warm and gentle. He asked me again.
What do you want?
My lips trembled, I struggled to answer his question but I couldn't. Words just didn't matter to me. I wanted to feel his look, his touch, and absorb fully that he cared only about my answer.
I didn't know him. He didn't know me. He didn't ask about what I do, or where I am. He wanted nothing from me. I knew we would never meet again, that this moment would only last a few minutes.
I wanted to feel it.
I wanted to be paid attention to, by an undistracted man, who wanted to hear me, to remember my words, to look into my eyes and hear me.
I looked back at him, straight into his dark brown eyes, and said.
"I want to be heard."
Daring to Dream
Battling Bare
Ash Wise
July 2015
