We were the couple in the corner
Not part of the ambience
The noise and interruptions
Loud laughter
Everyone sure of themselves
Yet we were most important
They were escaping
We were living
No longer ordinary
Deep in conversation
We had something
A chance and we both sensed it
It was as if time stopped
Yet we desired its haste
Discovery is fascinating
Yet like everyone else
We wanted to read the last page
It could have been about next Thursday
Would we be thinking of each other
Yes there was no doubt
Hope in love lingers
Even without a happy ending
For hope in love is hope itself
We were discovering ourselves too
Regrets, wishing we were more interesting
Trying to slow down excited words
How embarrassing to be so enchanted
It seemed so anyway
Nobody noticed them
Except the man who wanted one of their chairs
Yes yes please take it
What do we care, can't you see?
It's already bad enough
Such loud intimacy
I wanted to whisper
It's hard to be gentle when you can't hear
Then I sensed the sudden change
Like a cool breeze
But the chill was welcome to you
It covered your face
The dread of loneliness
Born of desire
As if I hadn't felt it too
But I had
Suddenly every word mattered
I felt the urgency of a mountain climber
My sense of humor strained
My senses attached to every detail
Ordering another drink
Speaking to the waitress
Treating her kindly
Wanting to be sure and just to her
She smiled as she knew as well
She'd felt the same breeze last Thursday
For it was me who'd imagined it all
And she remembered
I'd made her feel human
And emptied the room for that moment
We would never forget
We'd read the last page
It was now time for the book
It would be worth the read