Subway

He saw her at the subway station Standing on the platform waiting for the train. Inside the car they sat in front of each other. She was quite young. Though not strikingly pretty She was good looking and attractive And he liked her back-combed black hair. It was long and lustrous And gathered into a chignon And softened with a purple satin ribbon That matched her elegant blue dress. She wore high heeled black shoes And her ivory skin shone on her comely legs. The train moved and stopped And moved again At the stations the doors opened and closed And people streamed out and in. She sat quietly in her seat And then opened her purse And pulled out a candy Wrapped in golden paper. She removed carefully the wrapping Put the candy slowly into her mouth And then folded neatly the paper And put it back into her purse. He watched her discretely for a short while And then closed his eyes And when he opened them he saw That she cast a timid glance looking at him. He liked her. He wanted to start a conversation with her But somehow it just did not seem appropriate To address a complete stranger on a train And besides he was afraid to say something silly. So he remained silent. He wanted to say something to her But he did not have the courage. And then suddenly he panicked Because he realized that he cannot speak That he cannot pass through the invisible barrier That extended between them That despite her presence He cannot reach out to her That he is unable to have her in his life And that they soon will get off the train And he probably never will see her again. The car wheels Kept clacking and rattling over the rails And they both sat silently on their seats Two lonely islands in a withdrawn crowd. Then the subway pulled into a station And it was time to alight from the car. Without saying a word He walked through the door And across the car window he saw her. She was looking at him. The train began to move slowly Along the platform of the station A moving image melting away Like an ice dragon in the heat of summer. In a few seconds it vanished Into the thin air through the dark mouth Of the subwaytunnel.