have you noticed?
i have.
i did.
and i will, i hope,
remember being noticed
unexpectedly, during an
interruption that caused
my head to shake
as my heart smiled.

the shaking of the head
is a statement being said,
though what is
revealed can vary,
depending on the context and intent.


a head can shake
to say no, or
to display frustration, or
to relay the message of fear, or
to show a feeling of being surprised.

the first and simple shaking of a head
might include

determined eyes or
might include
an afraid face
as the shaking is saying no.

frustration can also be a cause of that movement,
when anger or exhaustion or
disagreement or resentment
or an inner war still unknown
leads to movement of the body and face and head.

fear can cause shaking
of hands and heart and face,
as can doubt,
and depression,
and denial.

but occasionally
a head shakes when surprised by joy,
when hearing of news too good, almost, to be true.

my head shook that way.
i didn’t expect a person
to say
what he said to me,
about me.
not demanding the who i should become
but declaring the who i
already am.

the voice was firm but kind.
the face stared at me
and stated what i hope is true
but often feels so distant.

my head shook
out of surprise.
my heart continued its beat
like a rising hope
of new rhythm and old faith,
of olds words from
a new voice,
of new and old and old and new
of now and then,
of me and you,
of maybes and wants
being stated as certainty with clarity.

i shook
as my head meditated
and worked to remember
that moment,
those words,
that sharing of a shaking
of me, of life, of there,
as my heart smiled.