Strangers

At the airport

I thought kindness had its own gravity.

I thought a decade meant something.

I thought two people exchanging words

could build a small, steady bridge

between strangers. 

But you were a borrowed lighthouse

pretending to guide ships,

when in truth you only liked the lantern

when I held it for you. 

One rumor,

one whisper,

and your hands let go of the rope.

You watched me fall

and told others the wind pushed me. 

I see you now.

A man made of fragile mirrors

who feared the reflection

of someone who never played your games. 

I guess we'll go back to being strangers then.

Which is strange, as we don't even know eachother 

I have no interest in speculations about strangers,  

but it seems you've already made up your mind 

about me.

The mind does have a way of 

filling-in the blanks 

Still, a conversation would have been nice 

but I guess, even that is too much to ask 

I've never liked goodbyes so I'll say good day

We both have our planes to catch 

our destinations never aligned anyway.

You got your baggage; I got mine 

the truth is a carryon,

I set down as we stood in line.. 

you can't take that with you

that is mine. 

It holds the parts of me that were sincere. 

I reclaim what you mistook

for weakness.

It was never yours.

Good day, stranger 

Author's Note

All my thoughts are my own. My lived experiences, imaginations, dreams etc etc..

Reviews

[red93]

Very interesting writing Roma, and again I like the way you make yr audience work at filling in the gaps in the narrative. What is left unsaid in a Piece of Poetry can often be as important as what is said. Exceptional ✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

[RomaJ]

Red, thank you. I agree… sometimes what’s unsaid carries its own meaning, and readers will fill the spaces with their own experiences. I appreciate that, I do the same too, when I read a piece. It makes each interpretation interesting and meaningful.
Roma

[red93]

✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

[Vol]

Roma,
I hope this is not recent autobiography, and that your heart is still intact...from my perspective, after many readings of Keats "La Belle Dame Sans Merci," and my own oft broken heart, if there is one thing I know, it is that love is the most dangerous game we play. And, it seems no matter how broken we desperately desire one more chance
Vol.

[Amy R]

This poem carried a lot of emotions, very raw and authentic.
Glad I stumbled upon this poem of yours. Very well written. Exactly how someone can mislead us in this life.
~Amy

[Carrie]

Very emotional poem. Well written.

[Arundass TP]

Beautifully written poem. Loved it

[Betty Hermelee]

Hi Romaj
It seems like you carried the baggage in this piece, and it wasn't all fun and games...in fact it was rather awkward and painful for you... your hopes were shattered, but then again two strangers meeting at an airport does not necessarily bode well for a great romance.... I like your choice of words... well done!
Warmly, B

[Michael Sun Bear]

Hello Roma, this is a really interesting poem with some great lines. I love the whole stanza that begins: the truth is a carryon. One thing really puzzles me. To me the poem speaks of the transience of a relationship, something that could have been but failed. So I don’t get your opening line “I thought a decade meant something.” Well, that’s for me to muse about, I guess.

[Ruth]

I really like this poem! The imagery of baggage at the end is fantastic. love the fourth stanza.

[Michael]

This gift you have, Roma, is a treasured un-natural resource; un-natural, as so few possess it in the quantity and quality as do you. The poetry you mine for us out of this vein of golden vocabulary and nuggets of gleaming wisdom is, to me, so precious, that we ought to lay claim to you as our Writer’s Cafe Poet Laureate, so that future generations stumbling around in the dark may have their paths illuminated. I truly love your writing, dear Roma.

— Michael

[RomaJ]

Hello Michael. This is very kind of you, truly. I just write whatever I’m feeling on certain days, but my emotions are as fickle as the weather here haha so I hope readers understand. It’s still creative writing… sometimes I’m reading a novel or a manga..and I get so pulled into the characters that I end up writing something inspired by them. Other times I have a vivid dream and try to catch the feeling in words so I can return to it later haha. You're an amazing writer yourself. I’ve read your work and it pulled me in so deeply it made me want to help the character get rid of the body… which is incredible storytelling when a reader is ready to help a fictional character hide a body. Thank you again. I appreciate you.
Roma

[Michael]

You are so kind, Roma. I love your spirit, your heart, your nature. By the way, I tried creating a “book” on WritersCafe and cannot get passed the first input page — it gives me an error code each time. I wrote to the admin a week ago but haven’t heard back. Guess I will just have to be patient :-)

[RomaJ]

What kind of error code? I only write poetry. I'm unfamiliar with how to post stories. I'm thinking we just select 'chapter' for the writing style and just post each chapter... could be..try changing the title you use, some words, the site will block and it will show as an 003 error, it can be fixed..by just using another word of title... I hope the error gets fixed for you... or it could be the device.. maybe a computer would be better. Maybe otherauthor's who write stories with chapters, will have better insight on this.. I hope the error gets fixed soon

[Michael]

Thank you! I will try it from my PC. Good idea! :-)

[Vol]

Roma,
You have defined all modern friendships... I have never even met some of the very best, most intimate friends, I've ever made, but we share words here and other places on line. I've known many of them for years now, fallen in love with who they are, hurt for their pains, and eaten from shared recipes. The irony is I live in an isolated ghost town, but know more people now than I ever have...
Vol

[RomaJ]

Vol, thankyou for sharing this. I agree with you. Some of the most genuine friendships I have ever made were with people I never met in person, yet we connected through words, art, and shared interests. I’ve always valued those bonds just as much as the ones in my real life, I try to treat each with care and respect. Of course misunderstandings can happen online. Without tone or expression, words can be taken the wrong way. Rumors, gossip only make that worse. I don't engage in that in my life, and I avoid it online. But sometimes online drama happens even if we didn't even know, because we simply weren't online, and had no idea what's happened lol. I guess, people will form whatever opinions they want.. we can't help that.. sometimes the kindest thing we can do is simply move on and not let one negative moment overshadow all the joy we found in our shared interests, whether it's through games, writing and community.
I keep hold of the good parts and let the rest drift away. Thank you again for reading and for your thoughtful perspective.
Roma

[Vol]

You are a wise woman, Roma... I'm glad to call you "friend!"

[Thomas W Case]

You pack a lot of vivid imagery and memory into this one. Excellent work.

[RomaJ]

Thomas, thank you. Your thoughts and words are always appreciated.
Roma