Encounter Poem by Ramendra Kumar

Last evening,
I saw you
After a hiatus.
And there was
An implosion....

Our eyes
Locked together,
Just as our bodies had
So often.

For an evanescent moment
I saw
In your eyes
A glint
Of the searing passion
That had torched my being.

We stood staring
Like
Strangers on a train
Sizing each other up
Before starting
A conversation.

I felt a tug
On my arm,
Like a reluctant canine
On a leash,
I followed
My present owner.

I looked back
For one last glimpse
You too had turned
A half smile
On your lovely face
Was it empathy
Or pity
I’ll never know.