I almost met you
On a Saturday
In Gloucester.
The wind blew easterly.
There was a jar of mums
On a table near the window.
Their yellows were calling
To each other.
Place-names
Were put back
In the pencil drawer
Before I noticed your shadow.
Copyright © 2017 by Fanny Howe. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on June 2, 2017, by the Academy of American Poets.