The First Time After by Simon Williams

A chance encounter

The first after our split

My words tasted strange in my mouth and

My body language became foreign to me

There may be etiquette to follow

When broken lovers meet

But I have never learned it and

You seemed no more at ease

You asked how I was keeping

I said that I was ok

You said that you were ok too

Then asked after my cat

and I after your evening classes

Both of which it turned out were ok

I said that I was surprised to meet you in the library

You offered college work by way of explanation

Said that you were not in the least surprised to see me there

You said it with a smile but

You’d always treated books as rivals

As though they competed with you for my attention

You were you said keeping busy

I admitted to doing this and that

Then you said that it was good to see me again

Confused I examined the statement carefully

Checking it for tricks or booby traps

Before finally admitting

That it was good to see you too

My hesitation was fatal

In a flurry of excuses you fled to Reference Only

Leaving me perplexed and sad in Fiction P to S

At home later that evening I replayed the scene in my head

Call me I said, I miss you and I’m lonely

And in my imagination you came