If you haven’t held the door open
for someone lately, try it today
at the dentist’s office, the bank,
or the gas station where some impulse
pulls your gaze upward to meet
the eyes of a stranger with a smile.
The small fire of that single gesture
will stay kindled in you for hours,
and soon you’ll be finding other doors
inside yourself, admitting the pleasure
of sending a letter to a friend, creamy
white envelope like an invitation,
raising the hand of the little red flag
on the mailbox. Or pausing to hear
the mating calls of two barred owls
hooting to each other before dusk
in a neighbor’s yard while you stand
on a gravel road sinking in the mud
of early spring. Suddenly, you notice
doors everywhere in need of opening,
and you know this is your new job,
welcoming whomever, whatever
passes through.
—James Crews
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