somewhere,
a woman lights a cigarette
outside a central London flat
pulling her jacket in close,
her scarf closer, the night
is her closest friend

when a man approaches her,
he will say hello, smile a toothy
smile, and ask her if she has
an extra cigarette

she, of course, does
and hands it to him
and lights it for him

he laughs and smiles that
toothy smile again and she
returns the favor

they will forget the cold then
somehow

and this simple moment
is how humanity advances,
each lumbering step as
delicate as a caterpillar
trudging across the easy
flower of a spring day