A Chance Encounter Picked
I was walking home when a voice stopped me in my tracks.
I was walking home
when a voice
stopped me in my tracks.
A few metres away,
socially-distanced,
a woman spoke.
“You are the poet,
aren’t you? I still
read your work.“
I felt a thrill
that someone
remembered the reading
I gave in the library
so long ago.
“Yes”, I simply replied.
(I haven’t, as they say,
got the gift of the gab.)
“You look well”,
she continued,
“have you had the jab?’”
As I nodded, she told me
to take care and went.
© Luigi Pagano 2021
Loved this. I get so embarrassed when someone recognises me from the past because I have a very bad memory for faces.
So pleased you’ve had the jab.
I’m afraid mine is a bit of a long way off. March If I’m lucky according to local news
I recognised the face but could not recall her name offhand. I made some vague remarks and asked if she was still living locally. By the time I remembered, she had gone.
.
Luigi, “You are the poet”. And no one can deny your talents. BTW I get confused with a presenter on channel 4, but have managed to use that to my advantage on a number of occasions!
I think the emphasis was meant to indicate that I was the only poet in the village. As there is no photo of you in your profile we can’t see the resemblance. Which presenter is it?
There is a lot more in this poem than meets the eye on first reading. There is a feeling of quiet contentment at having one’s talents recognised. More than that, the lady was in fear too, sadly an ever present reality in many people’s lives. The enquiry was both comforting and also an indictment on the level of individual uncertainty too. The last two brief lines are genius in my opinion. No excess talk, none needed. A moment shared but in that brief moment you were ships that pass in the night but the world was in those lack of… Read more »
Dear Alison, I am really pleased to read such a lovely and comprehensive analysis of this piece. You have caught the essence of the poem absolutely right. As every writer takes pride in their work, it was nice to hear a hint of praise from an objective follower. You are also correct in interpreting the atmosphere of that transient moment,
Thank you. Luigi. xxx