Katie Pratt: "Beyond Words"

You say you have no spirit,
but truthfully ask yourself this—
Would you look into my eyes
and see something beyond color?
You look at my hands,
but do you see beyond their shape to what they create?

When you notice my feet,
would you see beyond perception to
see how I travel through my journey,
or the way I am following after you?
Don’t imitate an eye and only see the object;
Don’t be fooled by the word reality.

When I look into your eyes, I see your spirit.
When I notice your feet,
I see the journey you’re taking,
the compass you follow.

Would you put down your logical way of thinking for just
a moment to see the hidden spirit glowing in you,
the spirit I see living through the truthful, inspirational
things you do,
the spirit that keeps me walking after you?



"Beyond Words" by Katie Pratt. Published online by Pietisten: A Herald of Awakening and Spiritual Edification (Summer 2002). © Katie Pratt.

At the time of the writing, the poet was a student at Mounds View High School, Arden Hills, Minnesota.

Art credit: "The Reverend Bill Crews washes the feet of a homeless man at the Exodus Foundation in Ashfield [suburb of Sydney, Australia]," photograph by Jacky Ghossein.