Another free-verse originally posted over at Long Awaited’s Poetry Thursday. This is basically a chick-flick in poetry form, though on repeated readings there does seem to be a kind of other-wordly feel to some of it. Maybe neither of them are entirely alive, or one of them is, or it’s just a plain old romance story. I’ll leave it up to you to decide for yourself.


 

The first time

he walks by her

little table

in the sun-lit plaza

she misses him

entirely

because she is

looking

–long, intently–

at the building.

It reflects the light

all arches

steel and stone

reach high and soar

into the cream-blue sky

–beautiful, elegant–

and so she

doesn’t notice his

quick gaze.

He thinks she is

–captivating–

in the golden afternoon

with her dark eyes

pointed far

above his head and

he wishes

–fleeting, wistfully–

that he was just

a fraction

taller to her

notice.

 

The second time

she strolls by

him in the rain

where he

misses her

barely

as he watches

–tired, absently–

the figures shudder past

in the puddle

at his feet.

The lights shift

and the world dances

–uncertain, trembling–

in the water’s skin

where he

catches glimpses of her heels

and writes it off

to mere

imaginings.

She marks him

–striking–

and wishes he

would leave

reflections

and see her

stepping past.

 

The next time

he looks

left at the flash

of a camera

–blinding, sudden–

instead.

She glances down

when the crack

nearly trips up her

heels

–jarring, uneven–

and

they walk past.

–Nearly.–

 

But this time

he turns

as she rounds the

corner golden

sun in her hair

reflects in his eyes

–Sorry, I didn’t–

–No, really, it’s fine–

They step on

together, future

unknown past

the next bend

in the

street.

First time of

many.

–Hello.–

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