Lived and Learned

A middle-aged man and a woman
Met at a coffee shop on Chicago’s
Northside.  Trees stood naked
Under a gun-metal gray sky.
A wind whipped leaves across
The cracked concrete.  He spoke
First:  “We could have been together
All of these years, if only we would
Have loved each other more. I’m
Surprised to discover that you never
Married.”  She replied:  “I’m happy
For the path you chose.  But maybe
I rated myself too highly, leaving me
Unsatisfied.  We had common interests,
But that never seemed enough.”
“Perhaps,” he replied sullenly.
“Perhaps.  Our lives have been filled
With perhaps.  We each could have
Chosen any one of a hundred ways
To live.  In our frantic youth, we
Had little time to choose.”
“But we could have loved each other,”
He said.  “Perhaps, you are right,
After all,” she said.