The emoji

Have you ever hovered your index finger too long over an emoji? 

Scoured the growing list or searched to no avail the image of that feeling inside you want to convey?

Have you been told that a picture is worth a thousand words? 

What if it isn't, because the person reading the picture doesn't draw conclusions

so rather than a thousand words that lead to some meaning 

you are left with a blank stare. 

Or what if those words are not the words you would attribute 

because after all we have our biases and personal experiences that shape the story we tell. 

I've been here before - 

ships passing in the night

like ghost 

lost for meaning 

lost for words 

disconnection that leads to disharmony 

one glimpse of this 

and I break 

not the thin shallow cut that might make sense to meet the moment 

but a rip that reveals wounds 

repaired by jagged means 

and a place where fear can still dig its claw 

where under the lightest prick 

something unravels 

dare I search for safety 

dare I guard for what I need  

dare I stay and monitor patiently for the pattern that reveals itself 

am I safe here? 

Will we share the emoji that evokes the desired understanding and curiosity that this and all moments require?