By N.T. Chambers
PROMPT—No one noticed ...
He knew her before she was born
in a way that drowning men know the sea -
flailing without hope
surrendering without pain
clinging to an image of life
not yet lost, not yet abandoned –
just fearfully incomplete
while grasping at all the possibilities.
There she was before him
lightly tanned in semi-tough cutoffs
oversized tee shirt gently
caressing her in the breeze
her finely crafted fingers
cradling tinier ones in either hand –
miniatures of redundant perfection
babbling in the joyous, golden
discoveries of their youth
with her thankful adoration.
He wistfully sighs while
taking in this human coast
aware his eyes view this tableau better
than any camera could ever hope.
Not wishing to disturb the moment
he stands
apart, alone, aching
to say something – anything
to make a difference
to be noticed
to merely have her smile - just once…
The other dream, he knows,
is far too lofty, too late, too lost
even to be considered –
but still he watches
heart beating slightly faster
as they approach and pass –
her eyes warily meeting his
questioning…protecting…warning
at first glance –
then, noticing no life preserver
close at hand,
she smiles at him instead-
knowing his look
his hope
his heart
from some distant time and land
before she knew her breath.
N.T. Chambers is a native Chicagoan now living in the high desert of Arizona. The poet has led an interesting life on the way to becoming a writer. Among many jobs he has held are: cab driver, bus mechanic, sales drone, pizza deliverer, wine merchant, improv actor, editor, educator, professional counselor, and, of course, every writer's "go to" job - bartender. Every position has helped to stockpile a wealth of experiences from which to cull ideas and characters for poems, stories, and photography. N.T. writes from Vail, AZ.
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