Sea Glass and Footsteps

Like walking with sea glass and not realizing that it used to be a bottle,
You never even noticed that I felt broken
That I was digging through sand and searching
Desperately putting my scrap pieces together with scotch tape and an open heart
Covering refrigerator doors with magnets and memories and molding mistakes
For even when I made them I knew someday they'd bring me here
I'm always one to dip my toe in the puddle before I jump into the ocean
While everyone else did canon balls I opted to climb down the ladder
because each rung was stable and each rung was there

You can tell a lot about a person by their footsteps
The way they take their coffee and they way they take another's heart
How their dreams and their goals look as they're posted on walls with thumbtacks and nails
As a constant reminder to knock on and knock down doors that hold you back
You can tell a lot about a person by how quickly they take off their shoes when they get home
Or when they get to someplace new
How much water they leave in their glass at a restaurant
And how much water they let themselves sink into before they realize they're drowning

I have dozens of journals that I've only written two or three entries in
Because if I wait too long it seems wrong to just pick up with where I left off
I think I do that with people
Always making time and space synonymous with change
And I have dozens of two or three entry friendships followed by blank pages waiting and wanting to be filled
I wish I was better at journaling and I wish I wasn't afraid of picking up where I left off

You can tell a lot about a person by how small they feel when they look at the moon
The way they tell a story and the way they break hard news
The way their eyes light up when someone else in the room mentions their passion
Or when you mention their name
How freely they dance when they hear music and how freely they love when they hear pain
Or even how easily they see broken glass as a work of art