All This for a Brief Smile

i once lived in a city so large 
the people you see one day- 
you may never see again. 

when i was thirteen i held a wrapper in my hand
covered in red white and blue lettering 
a tribute to the land you once loved dearly

i still search for you in the places i go

hoping to see you; a familiar face once again.

today i walked through the halls expecting to meet you, where you forever stood— but the man i saw wasn’t you;