He said hello
To the girl across the room
Reading the old dictionary
At the table in the corner

He could tell
There was something different
About that girl
He knew she wasn't like all the rest

She had her hair pulled back
In a loose, messy bun

She wore sneakers and jeans
And a sweatshirt
Tied around her waist

And she was reading a dictionary
He wondered why
Why would she be reading a dictionary
When she was in a building
Filled with a myriad of books

Perhaps she wanted to widen her vocabulary
Or maybe she just wanted to touch up
On the definitions of those troubling words
The ones she could never remember

              a. d.