Her hair blown free,
with eyes ablaze

She walked toward me,
through morning haze

Her steps unmeasured,
her cutoffs tight

Eyes palest blue,
the lightest light

Would I speak first,
would she respond

In ten more seconds,
her image gone

Our shoulders brush,
she passes by

My arm goes numb,
my heart on fire

I had no choice,
I’d lost control

My breathing stopped,
I’d play the fool

And looking back,
all fear defied

An all-star waited
—her ‘Chucks’ untied

(State College Pennsylvania: June, 1969)