Have you ever thought how people see you
Not in the present
Lord knows I think about that too much
Think long-term
Think about people you remember from your past
The stranger you oddly recall walking past in the store as a child
An old friend of your parents’
An elementary school teacher
The friend you found in college
You knew the friendship wouldn’t continue, but that was okay
I had a friend like that
We bonded over basketball, school and the absurdity of politics
He’s a lawyer now, in a city near my best friend’s home
I wonder if he thinks of me
I obviously think of him
It’s overwhelming to think people will remember me
Forming ideas of me off one encounter that changes over time
So many possibilities for friendships and love if only more time had been allowed
Yet too many possibilities to dwell
When I look in the mirror do I see who they remember
What have their minds made me
Years from now, when I look in the mirror, will I see the man a child once admired
Were we to meet again, would he be disappointed
By no fault of my own but by his own imagination
Of who I was and what I would become
Everything I do will be remembered, even if out of view
Sins dealt with alone will shape how I carry myself
They can see it without knowing what it is
Who am I when they remember me
