A Stranger Smiles

In a university library
a red head smiles
a nervous you
ignores the invitation

In a bar you see the face
the smile returns
again the nervous you
leaves

opportunity lost
never to return

in another time
in a smoky bar
a stranger smiles
and beckons
you can't make that
walk
and make a longer one
instead

waiting in a suburban station
same faces every day
one day a smile
a hung-over you cannot
return
the train leaves

A station in France
a two hour wait
for a journey you don't want
home

Another stranger smiles
but you cannot
mirror the greeting

you return home
alone