A Fleeting Encounter Poem by Bryan Riley

And there she was: pretty,
pushing a baby in a
stroller. Sensible skirt,
blouse, sensible flats-
faint scent of her
perfume on the light
breeze. Tattooed calf,
top of left foot, and
I thought, 'What if we
made eye contact? '
Fell in love? Suddenly,
inexplicably, inextricably
smitten-
Would we abandon our
separate lives, throw it
all away to join our
paths together, forsaking
all others? Would she
later realize it was all
a huge mistake and
walk away, just as she is
doing now? not having
glanced in my direction,
me completely in love
with the moment, left
with just the memory of
a tattooed calf, sensible
skirt, and the fading
scent of her perfume.