By Dan Ruppel (Montreal, Canada)

“I’m just thrilled to have met you”
Your hands run across the old door
Sun-speckled in the leafy world.
“I’ve got to…” “I know” “…go back”
“Right,” and the shadows aren’t
growing any shorter now.
It’s a quick nod and a smile
through tears, a quick laugh
and your, “thanks, it was magical”
Now I laugh, too, for
you’ve shown me what
lies beneath those
first impressions and
I’ll miss you for it.
“Well I’m thrilled to have met you,
too.”  But the door’s
already open
and your shadow’s
growing longer
(your wings flutter)
as you leave.