Soft Velvet Bag

He walks slowly down busy streets
Passed on either side by people who don’t know him.
He smiles sometimes, less now than before,
And he turns his palms to the sky.

The world has been getting heavy.
He looks for a place to put it down and rest,
But nothing is soft enough—he distrusts.
He looks up for help, no answer.

The tears don’t hurt his cheeks,
The weight doesn’t hunch his shoulders, he gives.
It's necessary because everyone needs to take,
Everyone needs to smile a bit broader.

Of course he can’t smile anymore.
If you were the only one who was happy, you too
Would give it all away, spread it to every eye
That gave tears, and then sit quietly.

We don't owe him thanks, just smiles,
He carries the world in this soft velvet bag
He and his family made, so that things
Wouldn’t be as harsh as they once were.