left

once upon a time

i met the right person

walking through the train station

on a monday morning.

she didn't see me, not exactly

but she caught my eye just the same

another blurry face in a sea

of lost names.

i went right,

she went left, and we

got on our respective trains.

i almost tripped getting on

and fell flat on my face,

and that mortal embarassment

sucked up all my thoughts of her

leaving me a dry husk of shame.

i thought i'd never

see her again,

think of her again.

but i saw her again

the very next day

her face was on the news

as they started to say

that there was a train accident

the previous day

the wheels malfunctioned,

the power cut out.

the conductor couldn't call to stop

the oncoming route.

it took me a moment

to understand

why my eyes were misty

as i watched the screen glow.

then i remembered

the girl who went left.

she was the one,

i'm sure of it now

i'm sure we could have been great

if she'd stayed around.

she was the right person

but she chose the wrong day

to go left.