A Familiar Stranger

A barely audible creak greeted me
As I entered this still unfamiliar place.
His figure approached, step by step, slowly,
Aged and wizened, his steps marked with grace.

But for his slouch, he could be any man,
Now so much smaller than my childhood fear.
Not the monstrous terror of long ago,
A different presence, yet so close, so near.

There I stood, a deer caught in the light,
Shaking off the shadows of my fright,
In the haze of ill-served remembrance,
Realizing that I loved him all along,

A bond transformed by time’s gentle embrace,
From phantom fears to love's enduring song.

Reviews

[Soren]

How our perceptions change and with them our feelings. Certain foods that I hated as a child I now love and people that I disliked have become good friends so fears that I once had now are fond memories. Nicely written there is a softness to it that feels like the mists of time and the age that goes with it,

[Red Brick Keshner]

Makes for a new experience of old sayings like “with age comes wisdom” and such. Thanks Soren 🙏🏻

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Aww, this is so good Red. Makes me think of my dad.
But in another direction...it is me. as Sheryl Crow sang "I'm a stranger in my own life"---
j.

[Red Brick Keshner]

No matter how close or far, how much do we really know ourselves and those closest to us? Some truths are strange and not readily accessible. Thanks j.
Freds

[GlendaK]

Wow! Guys listen to Sheryl Crow? But I digress.
Attracted by the title, A Familiar Stranger, to this work, I kinda thought it was about the deer and a hunting expedition. But, in the end, I understood and felt a tear of familiarity of my own. Loved it.

[Red Brick Keshner]

Thanks GlendaK, your words and visit are much appreciated.

[GlendaK]

Isn't it strange how we go from fearing that huge strong guy to watching him grow feeble and wither away. Then all that fear and trepidation just melts as our protective senses kick in. Put that poem in a book.

[Red Brick Keshner]

Super strange! Most definitely. 🙏🏻