Connections Poem by Helen Gaudin

From soft, misty shadows they emerge
At first just a shape, indistinct
Gaining form, coming closer
Heart leaps with recognition
Familiar likeness
Becoming more distinct the closer they come
Then you see the strange, the difference
It is other
It is not you, meeting yourself

Tentatively reaching out, lips curve upwards
Matched by responding upward curve
Eyes meet momentarily
Unspoken words fill the space between
Warmth flows
Passed by, drifting further away
Shape forming, new, lips curve
No match, strange, turn away, pass by
Cold fog fills the space between
Connection and disconnection
Finding and not finding myself in others