She was distinct in her dark green coat;
I watched her without seeing her,
stared without looking at her.
There was so much it was impossible to capture,

even to possess within a moment’s time.
A veil hid part of her face; the rest was
concealed by darkness; and yet within her
there was something luminous. She was the

opposite of a lamp or a flashlight: apparent
darkness hid radiance within. I couldn’t glimpse
it, nor even imagine it. It was a secret warmth
that would never dare to make itself felt

(nor even to allow someone curious to feel it).
I wanted to speak to her, to ask her where and how
she acquired her tremendous inward luminosity, but I couldn’t
approach her. I didn’t need to approach her.

I knew we would meet again.
We always do.