Sonder, a poem by Danielle Coffyn

I follow Danielle Coffyn on Threads,  and so far I've loved everything she's written. 

Here is a poem of hers about I concept I think about often - Sonder.  Danielle Coffyn describes Sonder as the profound feeling of realizing that everyone, including strangers passing in the street, has a life as complex as one's own, which they are constantly living despite one's personal lack of awareness of it.

Sonder

the woman who took your parking spot just lost 

her job & the boy howling because there are no 

more croissants is overwhelmed by the noise

& your colleague is bursting with excitement

because she is expecting but its too soon to tell

& your sister decided now is not a good time to be

a mom & the neighbor who hasn't mowed the lawn

in weeks is struggling to find a reason to get out 

of bed & your mother is celebrating ten years

of quiet sobriety & the man buying whiskey just

put down his dog & your best friends is planning

to propose to the love of her life & you are lost

in your own to-do list but all these lives

are important & brutal & beautiful & true.

Let's just sit with that for a moment.  

Isn't it exquisite...