Week 5: Sonder

Photograph Credit: Denise Smith – “Tube people” – follow Denise on Instagram @deniselifeart or Denise Smith

Sonder

This life I find so big
is merely
the backdrop
of yours
prop-like I am
drinking a tea
while you are in
the café deep
in life-changing
conversation

I am the extra
in the movie of
your traffic jam
the one you
sat next to
on the plane
we thought
the other boring
but I had
high altitude thoughts
of the vastness
of the universe
the specks of
dust
of us

‘Sonder’
in another language
sounds like a word
that means ‘without’

And I guess it is
without knowledge
without depth
these tiny assumptions
you hold of me
that are neither
accurate nor true
but just an
external black
and white view
which belies
the rich internal
kaleidoscope

© Tanya Southey
#52words52weeks

Sonder –
“the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.”