We stood together quietly Staring at the painting of a woman with olive eyes I hear myself say I wish mine were as beautiful as hers And find myself engulfed in light-blue skies He says they’re darker…repeats the word Darker At times he pauses as if trying to find another word to describe my eyes ….but he doesn’t say it I’m wondering does he want to say Beautiful Or is it just that I want him to say beautiful But he continues to smile as he says Darker And continues to get closer as he says Darker I wonder if this would be the part of a movie where the characters kissed But this isn’t a movie And I turn to walk past him Across wooden floors Towards anything else that catches my eyes I can feel his stare And the space between us feels Darker ...Beautiful