We met, years ago
In the heat of an August morning
Her eyes deep and dark and wide
And full of warmth
I looked into them --
And slipped a little
Witty and sweet and pretty --
What a wonderful person to be with
And when we kissed
I felt contentment
But then, without warning, she went away
A little while for the heart to heal
A little sadness, a few tears
But nothing I hadn't dealt with before
And nothing I wouldn't deal with again
But then we met again
A brisk March day
She came by to visit --
Back from a long trip
With stories to tell
And experiences to share
I must admit that I was a little shocked
When she remembered me
She said sweet things
That made me smile
And I felt hope and longing
And I lost my footing
But then she went away again
Longer to heal this time
But I survived --
I had no choice
What else was there to do
Except move on
But quite recently
I had gotten to thinking
About possibilities
The politics of what might have been
What if --
The most dangerous of all thoughts
Idle thinking about times
Past and gone
So I got to wondering
What if she had stayed
And I got to thinking
About our life together --
That wasn't
A couple growing up and growing old together
And laughing and loving
With fond memories to look back on
But not for me
And then a friend calls with news --
Guess who's in town?
And so now, on a cold November day
We stand face to face
I say nice things about you
And you quickly say nice things about me
You have to leave in the morning
Well, this time I know it
I had forgotten how I had felt
And I wonder if you have someone
Back wherever it is that you have to go
What we had lasted
Only a few moments
But I've fallen --
I know it
All I can think to myself
As I look into those big brown eyes
Is I shouldn't have come --
I shouldn't have come
All those feelings
All those possibilities
So I gave you a book
Filled with the pages from my heart
And then you went away
And now I know
That this time
I will never see you again
And now my heart knows
That you were the one