Heaven

I preach to you

For I believe I have truly seen heaven

Not in a place as you may think

But in my everyday life

I’ve seen the light

In passing smiles

Beckoning me with sweet hellos

And bittersweet goodbyes

Staring back into the gazes

Of chestnut browns

And midday sky blues

And marsh grass greens

All illuminated in pure gold undertones

I feel the warmth

Of my hand clasped in someone else’s

Of lips pressed together at length

And of those who burn bright with good will

In a firm, but gentle embrace

In a cloud of breath

Released to the cold, open air

And in kind words exchanged

Between strangers and passersby

I am welcomed

By open arms

And faces lit up like stars

And voices sweet as a songbird

Singing the melodies of life

To the beat of the drum in my chest

Like the perfect cliche

At the end of a storybook

But I wouldn’t have it any other way

So no,

I may not have been given divine sight

Or come close enough to death

To bring myself to the pearly gates

But I believe heaven lives here

Walking among us

Just another soul

Fated to grace this Earth