So there I was settin’ on the outside stair, put there as punishment, I guess

Though, unlike most youngsters, I didn’t know what I’d done wrong

Left out to live, exposing my skin and my heart to the harsh elements

An occasional smile from a passing turtle or bumble bee sustained me

Probably they spotted my deer-in-the-headlights desperation from afar

Speaking some kindness, they felt, wouldn’t hurt any

If only they knew, scarcity would have me hanging on their every glorious word

Writing of them, strangers, all these years and footsteps forward, later

Filling in the blanks left by the one who left me settin’, sad on the outside stair