there is a pretty girl
sitting in a corner of this cafe
her back to a window
with drawn shades
shadow trailing down her arm
if we were in a another city
in another time
i might look long enough
for her to notice me
noticing her
and that thing might happen
where a door opens
in the invisible wall
that stands between strangers
if i were feeling
a little bit adventurous
i might take a step
over the threshold
say something pedestrian
like, “i like your shirt”
or “how are you?” or
“it’s hot today, isn’t it?”
and then…
i don’t know what would
come next.
there could be lust,
or love, or friendship,
or a nice conversation
that slowly fades
from memory
there could be
nothing more
than that hello.
it can be such a frightening thing
to breach those invisible walls
stand quivering on the edge
of someone else’s world
inviting your personal
catastrophe inside.
narinda heng 