Looking Back

An open letter to someone I met a long time ago and never saw again.

Looking back, I can still see your face after all these years.
We met across the table at a buffet line.
You innocently asked me for a plate that was out of your reach.
That was all it took.
My heart beat faster, my breathing quickened.
I handed you a plate and asked whom you were there for.
You named a classmate I knew by name only.
As we got our food we began to talk,
Haltingly, about inconsequential things.
Bringing our food outside we sat under a huge oak,
Enjoying the company and the day.
The wind ruffled your golden hair and tugged at your dress.
Our talk continued about everything and nothing.

Though our bodies never touched, our souls were one.
We were so much alike.
Music, books, food, we shared the same tastes in so much.
Finally the time came for me to join my classmates.
The reason we were here was at hand.
After the graduation ceremony,
There were friends and family to be with.
I tried to find you to continue where we had left off.
But you had gone.

My thoughts never left you that day, or the next.
Off and on through the years I look back on that day and wonder.
What are you doing now?
Do you think of me?
Are you happy?
Are you married?
Do you have any children?
Could they have been mine?
I hope you are happy.
I hope you are making someone else happy.
Looking back I regret I never got your phone number.
I never saw you again after that day,
But I’ll never forget the few hours we spent under that tree,
Talking, laughing, sharing our thoughts and dreams.
Thank you for a great memory I shall always hold dear.