An Encounter

“An Encounter”

I sensed your presence in the close surround;
an essence that was unique to you
as though you carried your own
atmosphere in a bubble;
soft and aqueous,
enfolding those around you.

You settled by the window;
perhaps deliberately aloof;
ran a hand carelessly
over windblown hair;
as though to soothe your vivacity;
you sparked!; you radiated!

I was drawn imperceptibly;
then stared blatantly;
stunned as though caught
in a web of fascination.
Adjectives flowed across my mind
in quick succession;
embraced then discarded;
too banal for description.
A ripple of pure desire
flooded my core;
a glow encircled my throat;
flowing warmth that dripped
over my heart;
pooled behind my navel;
then spun upward and out.

You turned looking past me
intent on your own purpose;
until turning back our eyes locked
for a second that slowed and stretched
as though time had simply flatlined.
Flustered and suddenly shy
I looked away first; almost embarrassed;
my mind reeling but desperately
grasping at the moment;
my tongue suddenly thick and awkward
smothered; the words faded unuttered.

You, seemingly unaware, gathered yourself;
then departed in a sea of anonymity;
paced to the steps of those
at your elbow, in front and behind;
My eyes tracked you as though
hypnotized; silently begging you to turn;
at last rewarded!,
you hesitated and turned;
scanning the window for my face
framed in the glass;
you lifted a hand and mouthed a word
indecipherable; but your smile, fleeting,
exploded in the space between us,
left me dizzy and dusted in your glitter.