the girl I wish I knew

I sat panicked, frustrated for trying to find the right words
anything that sounded as beautiful as she looked
so that I might give it to her as a gift
before she got up and left my life forever
so she might then
know my name

my attempts continued to produce futility
I gave every attempt to reject my impulses to write
the great poem she undoubtedly deserved
it would inevitably fall short of my own expectations
and the tasks at hand were of great importance to my own success

but her eyes were too perfectly crafted to focus
with every glance, her soft face made a vast impression on my soul
   from behind the wood partition that separated us,
my heart yearned to be next to hers
   I wishfully taunted myself for I already knew
my fingers would never run through her golden hair
and my lips would never touch her gentle cheek.
   simple infatuation could not describe
the pure motives and feelings behind those of my heart
and even as I sat there knowing all of it was true,
I couldn't help but write this for her.
   I probably wouldn't work up courage enough to give it to her
or inevitably, she would get up and walk out of my life forever

but unrivaled beauty inspires the artist
and even the faint freckles on her nose
would be enough to inspire the likes of da Vinci
Michaelangelo, Van Gough or Niche.
Her deep, encompassing eyes must have been confiscated from one of God's angels
and given as a gift to the rest of humanity
that we might gaze upon their beauty and know that heaven exists

the minutes rolled by and turned into hours
without having glanced at my textbook
pouring my attention into the one creation
I hoped would compare to the way her hair
   would fall across her face had she worn it down,
to the glorious sun that was setting behind the hills
as I wrote and wrote
exploring every faint detail I could grasp with my own eyes
   from just moments of shared gander

I saw her only for brief seconds,
but they were some of the most anxious, beautiful
moments of my short life

if you do get this poem, through my own courage
or by simple luck
know that despite my attempts to assimilate in this society
I am but an old soul, living in a time that is not his own
where gifts and abilities that were once cherished
now perish
and romance means something it never has in the past
making this poem hopelessly out-dated
My words may strike an off-chord, they may leave you afraid
or dismayed, but I hope they will not.
I mean them with every good intention I possess

and as the sun sets beside us, I can only hope that on this day
I have stumbled into a soul similar to my own
and that you might appreciate what you have inspired
that now, you might know my name
and that one day,
I might also know yours