Thoughts As You Passed Me By
Author's Notes: This poem is from Kenshin's perspective during the short sequence at the end of episode 40, in which Kaoru and Yahiko are searching for Kenshin in Kyoto and pass by him on the street, apparently without either party noticing. This poem goes under what Kenshin's thoughts may have been if he had noticed.
Passing on the street,
we passed each other by.
I saw you,
running,
no doubt after
the dream I wish
I could share with you,
or some ideal of justice
you hold in your
still naive heart.
But you were blind
to my gaze,
rushing forward
without a thought
to any consequences
an acquaintance
with the battousai
might bring.
That you might be hurt
never crossed your mind
though the thought has
dwelled in mine for so long.
It is my greatest fear,
and yet . . .
Having you think of me
as no more than a wanderer,
knowing my past doesn't matter;
I don't think I could ask
for more.
So even as
you passed me by,
filled with innocence,
and hope,
and the gleam of
stubbornness that tells me
I can't make you
give up on me,
I smile.