A Little Humility A Little Laughter Poem by Jim Yerman

I'm bringing back an old memory
because with my internal American flag flying at half-staff
I could use a little humility…and I certainly could use a laugh:

It was the day a lady…after staring…walked up to me in a store…
and said, "You look just like my"….then she stopped to stare some more.

As she paused to evaluate every detail…every similarity…
I must admit my imagination ran away with me.

I was imagining she'd say Sean Connery…
and I wasn't sure how I'd respond…
If she thought I resembled, in my opinion, the best of all the Bonds.

I imagined I would smile and tell her,
"That's one of the nicest compliments I've ever heard
and I just so happens I was on my way to get a martini…shaken…never stirred."

I was thinking how I'd handle this…as my face she finished appraising…
"Yes! " She said, "you look just like my Grandpa…the resemblance is amazing."

She made this remark so innocently…with such elegance and grace…
and when she mentioned I looked like her grandpa a smile filled her face.

"It really is remarkable! " She said. "I find it so hard to believe."
"Thanks! " I smiled, "That's one of the nicest compliment I have ever received."

No…she didn't say James Bond…007…
never mentioned Sean Connery…
but if I reminded her of someone she loved…who made her smile…
well…that was good enough for me..

It's been years since that moment in the store…
but if I had in my possession a wand…a magic wand…
I might turn back time to that moment so I could ask her
if her grandpa…was ever mistaken for James Bond.