|
Elevator taking fifty people from the deepest subway stop
All packed and rising quiet, elbow in the side
And breathing hard
Elevator man says, “Pardon my Spanish, but ¿Cómo está usted?”
Much to our surprise, after a moment somebody bravely says,
“Bonjour.”
Then a Muslim man says, “Salaam” like an embrace
Then fifteen seconds of grace
Fifteen seconds of grace
Must have gone the right way home because I saw the little boy again
He must be ten years old now, still walks different, somebody holds his hand
But nobody else can smile that way
Nobody is gonna change my day like him
Then fifteen seconds of grace
Fifteen seconds of grace
There’s a feeling in my chest
All the whiteness of a walk I took with you one night
And the snow fell like a gift for our frozen feet to plow
And sift our thoughts until the morning
Oh, I walked the broadest steps with you for years
Until the morning
And now you won’t talk to me again
It seems I’ve hurt you past the point of ever wanting to hear my voice
But maybe one day your shoe will kick an icicle clear and clean across the street
And you’ll give me
Just fifteen seconds of grace
Fifteen seconds of grace
Of grace
Your grace
-- Jane Kelly Williams
|
