We saw each other again last night
At a poetry reading near El Camino
I felt awkward; I never go to those things
You felt uncomfortable; it wasn't your type of crowd
It had been years since I'd last seen you
But not years since I'd last thought of you
We exchanged glances and niceties
And I know you had to leave in the morning
Back to your school, your life
On the opposite side of the country
And I couldn't help but think
Of what might have been
We got along so well --
But then you always had to leave
While I always had to stay
I'm sure you've found someone
While I'm still looking for the right person
And I can't help but think
That you might have been her
And that I missed my chance
And so you gave me a friendly embrace ...
And blended back into the darkness

My phone rang at eight this morning
Your plane left at six
And if I'd thought about it at all
I would have realized
That you were thirty thousand feet up
Probably somewhere over the Great Lakes
Your mind on anything but me
But for a split second I thought it was you
And I was so happy
But you don't even have my number
Or my address or any way to contact me
Perhaps that's the way you planned it
At any rate the person on the phone
Was someone I didn't know
Who had dialed the wrong number
But feeling your presence again
I can't tell you what that was like
But I know you don't feel the same
And so, I guess
This is good-bye
I'm so sad that I missed my chance
With you

1992 Nov 30