Stories to Tell

     every person you meet has a story to tell, almost always at least one dark secret to reveal.
     when you're a writer, some signs of these stories that need to be told are visible to you. you might observe them at a glance, you might find them if you look hard enough. sometimes, you just have to wait and listen for it in their voices or to see it behind their eyes.
     i've met several people in this fashion; i've sensed they have a story; and after talking, after listening, after observing, i find it.
     i met a girl today; her thick blond hair was pulled up and hidden under a black cap; her blue eyes smiled as she held small talk with me while busily going about making a caramel flan latte, hands doing what was second nature to her.
     she was very pleasant, behind the slender green ink branches that trailed up her right arm, and the golden ring in her nose. i spoke with her as she worked, bantering about the pleasantries of the warm air outside and the patches of blue sky through the clouds.
     and then i noticed the dozens of string thin scars lacing up her pale forearms.
     marring her skin.
     never to be erased.
     some were longer, some were shorter, but each one visible to those who observed them. i do not know her story; i do not know if she is still hurting; but she has a story, and maybe one day someone can tell it.

     when you see someone who you can perceive has been hurting, or has done themselves harm, please don't brush it off.
     pray for the people you come in contact with and shine for them.