The saddest eye I have ever known

There is a sadness in her eye
Resolute
Time worn
With a history
The kind that lingers an entire lifetime
The kind that drags others down with it

Still, I can’t walk by
I can’t walk away

I stop
Look at her
Look in my wallet
Gently place the twenty in her hand

She looks at me
A fleck of light
In that sad eye
Pierces mine

“Thank you”
Is all she says

But when her lips stop moving
They come to rest
With the faintest
Whisper of a smile

An almost non-existent
Yet uncompromising smile

A Buddha smile
Holding the breadth
And depth
Of the universe
In one upturned corner

Devastating
Beautiful
Complete

I stumble away
Stammering,
“you’re welcome.”

In my office
With its expanse
Of minimalist expense
Its floor to ceiling view
Of mountains and water
And people far below

From my master of the universe perch
I reflect on the girl
With the saddest eye
I have ever known

Who with the smallest of gestures
Showed me a grace I have never known
Gratitude
Love, unconditioned
Full, complete

No amount can buy
What she has given me

All of this, she gives
I think
And I have nothing

When I return
She is gone
I slump down
Air leaves me

A tear drains
From one eye
The saddest eye
I have ever known