"When I Look at You"
by Andrea (Vicommi@aol.com)

***

When I look at you,
I see the little boy giddy with excitement,
    Face gleaming,
    Hair rumpled,
    At the chance to meet Superman.
When I look into your eyes,
I see the kid who bubbled with joy
    Eyes laughing,
    Shining
    Just to be alive each day.
When I watch you fly,
I see the child who never grew up
    Angelic grace,
    Ebullient outlook
    Seeing life as the grandest of all adventures.
All these things still live in you,
Echoed as a thunderclap reverberates in the desert
Rebounding from rock-face to rock-face,
Resounding again and again.
    That innocent child . . .
When I look at you,
I see the young man slumped in dejection,
    Face crumpled,
    Hair limp
    At the rejection of your mentor.
When I look into your eyes,
I see the broken lover,
    Eyes dull,
    Brimming
    To face each day alone.
When I watch you fly,
I see a man hurrying to grow old,
    Pushing limits,
    Striking hard
    Trying to prove how much you've grown.
All these things dwell in you,
Repeated as bubbles in the water,
That, once caused, rise to the surface
To break and cry their plight again.
    That stricken man . . .
Such uncertainty, such confusion
Irrepressible youth wars with jaded experience,
Echoing in your every step.
I see such mosaic-textured depths
    When I look at you.