But one of us must say a thing
if we are to start.
I inch across the room and bring,
in my hand, a heart.
My head plays tricks, my heart gets set,
and both become excited.
And nothing’s doomed, since we’ve not met
yet, to be unrequited.
I craft a line, proceeding on
across the floor, in greeting,
then suddenly (what, gone?) you’re gone
before our even meeting.
You come and go, like endless dreams.
But on and on I go,
never to arrive, it seems,
unless, until —Hello!
James B. Nicola is the author of six collections of poetry, the latest being Fires of Heaven: Poems of Faith and Sense. His decades of working in the theater culminated in the nonfiction book Playing the Audience: The Practical Guide to Live Performance, which won a Choice award.
