I saw a stranger today

In the loud, pasty white hallway she walked by 

Clenching my books, a feeling of dread whispered in my ear 

I knew her, somehow

Yet I could not place the strange face I had seen

The offset familiar feeling like the distant smell of smoke 

As I passed by, the dread grew stronger 

Swept away by the immense waves of memory,

I suddenly knew 

Her favorite color– a muted, innocent green 

I remembered, 

Her biggest insecurity, she had confided so timidly 

I had placed the face of the familiar stranger 

Like the throbbing pain of a stubbed toe 

Constant, yet easily distanced

The memory of her had faded

She was once again a stranger 

I eased the grip on my books and continued walking 

I wondered when I would see her again