― Neil Gaiman
Of perfume
In the room
Unoccupied
Vacant…
Not even a plant
Relieves
The gloom
A little tea shoppe
In a narrow
Back lane...
A jangling bell
Gave me away
And a Presence
Asks
If there is
Some mistake,
Some reason, or whim
Why I ventured in
And of course
There isn’t…
I didn’t intend
To come today
But found myself
Escaping rain—
That’s all,
It’s perfectly plain…
no other reason
than fall
and rainy season…
And a memory
I can’t escape,
And a part of me
I can’t evade
Damn, Damn, Damn!
...
Well, it’s haunting me
And I hope you’re glad;
You got back
Some of yours at last
And I’m wondering
If you ever strayed
Off the beaten path
As I did today,
And I wonder
What you'd say…
That the weather gods
Held sway?
You were borne
On the wind
Like swirling leaves
And ended here
Not looking for me.
Really?
Or perhaps
you were hoping
Fate in its way
Might bring us together
Some rainy day.