Unexpected Places

They run into each other
In unexpected places;

In the supermarket;
Basil and salmon
For another lonely meal
In a big empty kitchen.

Their eyes meet
In the frozen foods aisle,

And time stops.

Sometimes,
They cannot move or breathe
When this happens—

In the video store;
On a Saturday night
Sweat pants and pony tail,
Five-O’-clock shadow.

They bump into each other
While looking for a

New realease.

Sometimes,
They dodge each other
When it happens—

In the parking lot;
Of an apartment complex
Where both their friends
Just happen to live.

They pretend they didn’t
Catch a glance

Over the white picket fence.

And sometimes,
They fakes smiles while
Struggling for air—

Over the hood of the car
A safe distance from pain;
“How’s your girlfriend?”
“Fine, and your mom?”

They pretend not to feel
The burning

In their words and throats.

They run into each other
In unexpected places—

And nothing real gets spoken
But somehow its all known.