A Stranger Smiles
April 16 2008


Good advice
— eye contact
and a solid handshake.
Or two hands, better still,
enclosing his in a firm solicitous grip
as you smile
and lean-in closer.
Politicians and salesmen are good at this
— pressing the flesh,
closing the deal,
making you a believer, too.

I always looked away,
felt illuminated in the naked gaze
of others.
And reluctant to offer my hand;
bony, unmanly
with its clammy palm
— a damp insubstantial handshake.

But it’s never too late
to discover the power of engagement
— a tentative smile
a determined gaze,
man-to-man
even total strangers.
And beautiful women, too;
who, to my surprise
will nod
or smile
or even beam
right back at me.

I wonder if she thinks we’re acquainted
but can’t quite place me.
Or imagines me some happy simpleton,
with the simple trust that is so contagious.
Or perhaps, in her beauty, all she feels is isolation,
intimidating men
inciting women’s envy.
And because beauty may be all they can see
or care for,
she fears that in a few short years
she will become transparent.
When there may be no hand to hold
and none proffered,
nor any arms
enclosing her.

Does she think all this
looking into my eyes,
returning a stranger’s smile?