The Day We Never Met

It was an ordinary day,

The day we never met,

When our eyes embraced

The moment foretold regret

Of a lifetime of possibilities

I could only glimpse in silhouette.

For how could I burden you

When I knew I could not stay

Though your brief smile

Beckoned me to find a way

To throw aside reason

And think not beyond that day.

But the solitary moment evaporated

Into the nothingness of our future,

As I alone mourned its fated loss,

Acquiescing without demur

Or your even knowing it had passed,

Though of that I could not be sure.

So with nothing but moribund hope

I scrawled feeble verse in a frenetic sweat

And left it for you to find, unsigned,

So that the day would not end in debt

Of that one glorious moment

On the day we never met.

Author's Note

This poem was inspired by a real, chance encounter in 1989, when I was working in England for a few weeks. I don't have the feeble verse mentioned, long since losing track of it. But I remember the encounter vividly...

Reviews

[Tattered Teddy]

Very well-written, I love the style here and the meaning behind your words.

[Nautili]

Wow.....it seems as though you regret not putting yourself forward...I have one kind of like that called "perhaps." Not quite the same because I met the person but chose not to pursue a relationship.But the sense of regret was the same. You never know about those chance encounters that never materialize into a viable relationship-that is what makes them haunting.

[Elizabeth McNeill]

Wow... Really. I can recall a similar instance in my life that this reminds me of. I'm glad I came across this, actually. That little ping of regret- and a day so short lived. It's like that one moment when time can seem so irrelevant and unknown to us. Like, time doesn't really matter. You could spend an hour pondering that smile, or a simple gesture.

Anyway, before I continue further on my rambling, it's a nice read and I'm glad to have came across it (:
Also, nice rhythm and structure. Great layout, overall.

[Kent Smotherman]

Thank you, Elizabeth! And I'm glad you could relate to it, that's my primary goal as a writer. :)

[Little Whisper]

That solitary moment that you have shared with us is so sweet.. such a romantic memory to carry in your heart all these years. This is a wonderful poem.

[Kent Smotherman]

Thank you so much - It was quite an experience on my last day in England to see her come into the office and find the poem I'd written and the flowers. I never even knew her name, and what I'd give to have that poem now!

[Serenity Faith]

A good example of carpe diem....Your rhythm and rhyme was superb. And your emotions shown through very clearly. Well done ^_~

[Kent Smotherman]

I never thought of it that way, Emily - excellent point! And thank you for the kind words.

[Sami Khalil]

Oh, sorry , you have lost your could be British Juliet...
Poem is very nice and romantic.

[Kent Smotherman]

Thank you Sami - brought back a lot of memories of my time in England to write this one.

[Sami Khalil]

You are welcome.