Interesting Stranger
A poem
She wondered —
Perhaps love only happens in fairy
Lands — Always too distant
In this land, her other half
Clearly, went missing and couldn’t be found
Might as well accept this profound
Letdown.
Time to snap out, succumb, resign
Embrace the day in and day out
Same
Alone
Monotone
Groundhog
Life
Be grateful and happy for what she’s got.
She carried on
Not whole, not unhappy
Alone, not lonely
Doing well and fine.
Then, one day —
In a blind, gray, not in a good way soul devouring room
Crowded with men in white-collar shirts and boring ties
Interesting assortment of socks
She, a petite business-attired woman, sat
Across from an Interesting Stranger
(But honestly? — An over 6-foot tall not unattractive hunk)
Sporting a skull-and-bones hoodie
With flames running up and down his arms
Hair? — Longish, dishwater blonde
Eyes? — Chocolate brown
He sat there relaxed, exuding
Broad confidence and shoulders.
Hm, a renegade? Refreshing! About time!
He’s probably lost though
Wandered onto the wrong land (i.e., conference room)
Did he fall in here through some crack in the timeless sky?
Bias, no bias, she couldn’t help it
In the present time and mode
He was not exactly up to the business code
Another thought occurred — The meeting is getting hijacked!
Patience!
In minutes, the enigma would be solved, no?
The meeting, as scheduled, came to order
The topic was not decadent, but decent
Enough for everyone to take interest, and
A contributory bite
Everyone that is except for one — the Interesting Stranger
By now, this duck was obviously not lost, yet
Not like any other, and he
Wore matching socks.
The stranger quietly sat
The meeting neared end
When a new soft-spoken voice arrived
It came from the direction of the Interesting Stranger
Carried insightful, elegantly assembled thoughts
Respectful, charismatic tone, like a scent
Swirled around the room
Wafted in a breath of fresh air and
Missing ideas.
She listened, enchanted, when
Too soon!
Poof!
The meeting ended.
There she stood
Her eyes gaping wide open
Her mouth dry
What was that?
She wanted to know more
So she did
They met
They talked for a long time, and to this day, and
From then on, her life was whole.
