Sonder

I watch my shadow disentangle from the light to plead 
for its life with the oak’s penumbra and the rising sun, 
the stride of leashed dogs, bicycle wheels and other
silhouettes,  evaporating in the park’s  heat. 

In the artificial  lake beyond, a one-man sculls the
unobscured water, its paddles leaving clear streams behind.
Five strokes later the craft beaches on the rocky shore,  
its oars-man disappearing into a shadow line of trees. 

Behind, a cross-legged woman, on a bench, eating lunch,
watches me gaze beyond, until the dolce vita of a couple 
practicing an earbud tango, the tuning dissonance of a war 
veteran orchestra readying for Memorial Day, steals her gaze. 

I close my eyes and am soothed by the music,
overwhelmed by the sonder all around.
My heart loses it grief, my soul weeps 
for the possibility of heaven’s reconnection.

Author’s note:
sonder
[ son-der ]
Phonetic (Standard)IPA
noun
1. the feeling one has on realizing that every other individual one sees has a life as full and real as one’s own, in which they are the central character and others, including oneself, have secondary or insignificant roles:In a state of sonder, each of us is at once a hero, a supporting cast member, and an extra in overlapping stories.