Poem 467

Title taken from the film about two people who really should be together but … and in fact here I’m stacking the ecstatic romance of a day against the 99% of your life that is actually your life … dreams of finding ‘the one’ are exactly that …

( I like the swans as dominoes … )

Brief Encounter

He stood there for an hour
unable to do anything else
until all the people on the street
filled up his head
with their faces
and he didn't recognise her

she stepped up to him
and he could see what that hour
had done to her
they were desperate
struggling against the crowd
to hold on

by the lake in the cold
the dark water
and swans like dominoes
she came inside his coat
lights went on in the houses

children learning to speak
in one day
they said everything
together
they promised

at home
he said something
sharp
to his wife
and discovered pity
was greater
than love