The Sentimental Bookshop Poem by David Jason Robinson

I have always had the feeling
That I would meet the love of my life
In a bookstore-
She would come up behind me
As I was kneeling down at the
Literary anthology or poetry section
And boldly ask what I was reading
Maybe it would be Neruda, Keats,
Or maybe even Allen Ginsberg
And a great and engaging conversation would ensue
We would retire to the café with our new purchases in hand
I would have a copy of the new Paris Review and a
Biography of John Coltrane
She would have an Anne Rice novel (who
I don't really like, but I won't tell her that)
I have this ideal all planned out, but then
I remember a couple of months ago
A missed opportunity in a Goodwill store
In the foothills of Northern Georgia
Where a brunette hipster cashier with a funky hat
Complimented me on my taste and selection
I had discovered a bound trade paperback copy
Of Kevin Smith's "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy"
She did everything she could to strike up
A conversation, but some reason I was moody and weary
I was barely responsive and the opportunity passed
Interesting things happen when I am not looking for them
Still I plan out things to say to the cute and intelligent
Reference librarian at the Toco Hills library-
She was dressed as a Nuevo-Cinderella on Halloween
I am forty-two and still searching-
I wished that I had a bigger budget for books or
Better yet the guts to make the first move