Passing Strangers

Opposite they sit, staring, both, into the darkness.
Surreptitious glances, occasional meandering thoughts.
Do both think the same?
Each dares not hope, but prays.

A spectacle, a laugh, their eyes meet,
No longer covert glances.
A smile, words without meaning.
The eyes, the face.
Both speak more fully than words are able.
Subtleties of phrase, meanings too fleeting to grasp.
Always the hint, the clue, but never, the truth.

Time passes, the play must end.
All is polite, names exchanged, farewells made.
The door shuts,
The moment is passed,
The chance is missed.

He sits back, thoughts wander, he smiles,
And turns, alone, to stare into the darkness.