To See

To see: a noticing of me although
I’m one of many vying for your time;
a recognition of the twists and turns
that brought me here; a strong hand taking mine
and calling me by name; a welcoming
despite my past, with all the forms it took;
a joining me when I am in the dark
and calling me inside; a loving look;
a quiet word of praise for my small all;
a question that invites transparency;
unhurried time to stop and tend my wounds;
a giving of your very self to me;
a throwing wide the door; an eager race
towards me as I approach; a warm embrace. 

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I have been thinking, on and off, these last few months, about seeing and being seen. It encompasses so much: knowledge, understanding, acceptance, attention, love. To be seen by God, to truly see or be seen by another human being, is such a powerful thing. I wanted to explore that in this poem (with a nod to Herbert’s marvellous sonnet “Prayer”). Each description in my sonnet either directly refers or else alludes to something (perhaps more than one thing) in the life of Christ or from his parables, but on another level I hope it also captures something of what it feels like for you and me to be seen by someone else and the preciousness of that steady gaze of love.