Zia Foxhall
The World from Above (spoken word)
There was something about seeing the city sprawl out below me that made me feel small
It was a collection of homes and lives, twisting and melding into a jumble of colors that rested
Seemingly peacefully below an ever-blue sky
It is easy to stay above the roofs, to watch the world from below
It is easy to look on from a distance, to keep it all at a distance
But as I stood above my little city, I found it more and more difficult not to fall
Not to dive down streets and into homes
Not to fall in love
And I found a warmth I never knew under a roof that was never mine
Arms I had never held opened wide just for me to enter
When I walked through the door the corners of your mouth tilted to the sky
But how could this be when you do not know me?
And so I sat in the garden and watched the world pass by from below
And you mended the weeds beside me, never asking me once to move
And you brought me my meal and told me to eat more than I could
And when I asked how to repay you, you smiled sending a yellow glow from your face
You told me that I was enough, my presence, my company
But how could this be?
And I remembered what it was like to watch the city sprawl below me from above
How the people looked so small
Their voices inaudible
I had not known them and they had not known me
I stood on a hill – watching from afar
The only thing I could do was imagine
But with an outstretched hand you showed me what it meant to be human
To be part of a family that had no bloodline
We became we when I walked through your door and I let you teach me
I am humbled and I am grateful
Although the world is beautiful from afar,
The real wonder is found when you enter it.