Portrait In Silhouette Poem by Patti Masterman

Late night finds me hurrying along
When suddenly I'm halted by a shadows play:
Within a window framed, a female with a baby,
The two of them alone in their sovereign space
Outlined in black and light before the blind
Encased in their shadow-puppet world.
Stopped in my own tracks, I'm held by fascination
And imagination's given them extreme grace
No one else on earth now, but the woman for the babe;
There's none but the infant beheld by her eyes-
And the faint enclosed laughter echoes
As she hoists him high and higher
Even seen in monotone the two are irresistible
I feel my heart open and I'm pulled straight in
Perhaps just my shoes are left behind
To mark where I once stood
I'm not sure where I went or
How long I was there
But the street disappeared
And all the houses with it.
Was it for a moment only
Or much longer?
It's difficult to say-
Even now remains
An inexplicable happiness.