A strange dream

Age twenty
in a pub
by the bay
w/ a friend, waiting
for her family to
join us

sitting in front of me
all she did was
complain,
as I debated
returning
to Alabama on an
earlier plane,
it was all about the
approaching family & 
their treatment
of her

I heard the words

a strange feeling
was pulling me though,
& as she talked
I leaned to the side
to witness a man
hovering 
over his plate wide-eyed

looking at me
as if in a state of shock

my body felt
as though my bones were
being ripped from
inside, toward his direction, 
& w/out thought I popped
my mouth open & explained
to my friend the logic of
her situation
& how
it could be dealt w/ 

I wanted her to shut up

since
for the first time in my life
I was experiencing
something I could not
begin to understand
or explain

as her family walked in
I took the opportunity
to get up, 
& take a picture 
in the mirrors on 
the wall
across the room
just to study 
his 
reaction

our eyes followed
each other

I could barely eat,
he didn’t touch his food,
& when the family
was ready to leave
he & I met as we both
slid our plates into
the trash can,
w/ the same wide eyes
he said hello to me
& to this day
I can’t recall if I 
replied

once out of the pub
& across
the street I noticed him
propped up against
a light post, &
I idly stood near
taking pictures of
random details

to further examine that
strange feeling

until my friend pulled 
me
away to see 
this or that & I asked 
if she had seen him, 
but she was
totally consumed 
& didn’t know what
I was 
talking about

the rest of the trip
he stayed on my mind

I wished I would
have talked 
to him
so at least
I knew 
a little more 
than I did before

(& feeling poorly written, I might add)