Passing By...

So in case you haven't noticed, I'm writing love poetry and stream of consciousness things again. It's just been that kind of month... year?... I have no idea. But just in case you didn't get enough from the last post, here's something else I've written recently! It's inspired by a recent encounter where someone walked past who I'd wished had turned around to say hello. So without further ado, here goes nothing!

Passing By 

You pass by me and I feel my heart beat past the sound barrier, 
through the jungle and across the desert 
and into that rift in time, at the bottom of an ocean trench, 
to a place where we’re in our late 30s, 
maybe early 40s, 
living in a little Victorian house on a hill. 
It rained yesterday just enough to put a mist in the air overnight 
and to make the ground squish under your feet. 
Our son has mud on his knees from playing in the yard 
and our daughter is running up the front walkway 
with her backpack on one shoulder and a clarinet case in her hand, 
talking up a storm about what Carissa did at band practice today, 
Oh-My-Gosh, you wouldn’t even believe. 
You open the front door for her and patiently listen 
as she vents her preteen angst to you in full confidence, 
knowing the only people who will know 
how much the behavior of the first chair saxaphone player really bothers her
are you and I.
I sit on the front steps, brushing the dirt off of our son’s pants and shoes
while we discuss the movement of worms -
he has a wandering mind and tongue like me,
but his eyes and ability to watch the world around him
and understand its questions
definitely came from you.
When the dirt is gone off his blue jeans,
we follow you both into the dining room,
where the meal we made together is waiting for us on the table
(you made the marinara sauce from scratch,
I made my father’s garlic bread).
You and I count our blessings:
that our children don’t hit each other (especially during dinner),
that we're all sitting down to dinner together,
that you’re holding my hand under the table
where the kids won’t see it and get grossed out at our "sharing cooties."
When the meal is done and the dishes are cleared
and the night sky is filled with stars,
and the kids are tucked away in bed,
the two of us lie down on a blanket in the grass in the yard.
We hardly even notice the fresh-forming dew
as you wrap your strong, soft arms around me,
our bodies conforming to each other’s shapes
in a love embrace.
I sigh with happiness and marvel at the fact that
we are here, in this moment,
and very much in love...
as I look up into the abyss above... 
and then out of the water, 
back across the desert and through the jungle 
as you pass by me, and hardly throw me a second glance.

Please, tell me what you think! Have you ever had an experience like this, or thoughts like these? Have you ever been in a relationship like this with a friend or acquaintance? Let me know in the comments, I would love to hear your stories!