I look at you with a thrum of love 
You look back with a smile 
Your eyes crinkle affectionately 
We’ve been together a while 

I have stopped lingering upon
The outside of your being 
For, years ago I fell in love
With what lies within the seams 

Now I look into the depths 
Of your twinkling, smiling eyes 
And I see the gracious soul 
That reverberates inside 

I see the kindness that you bring 
To the tumultuous world around 
To the big and small, the young and old 
You bring an empathy that’s profound 

I see the pain and the passion too
Both heave in your very depths 
One keeps you wise and rooted
The other keeps you forging ahead 

I also see peace and calm 
They rest quietly in your heart 
When life sometimes disturbs, disrupts
They play their blessed parts

At your very centre I see the man 
That you always strive to be 
Dignified, upright, aware and true  
All while you nurture your humanity.