The Grin

I saw you watching me

And suddenly I was unsure

Of myself

Not knowing whether I should

Smile

Or pretend I was unaware.

I decided to do nothing.

You began to grin

In a way I could not unsee.

So, I smiled back at you

Unconsciously 

And it was on.

We acknowledged one another.

Why is that the most difficult thing

About falling in love

Is the simple act of seeing that the other

Truly exists.

I see the season's first robin

And I recognize spring is near.

You sat in a coffee shop

Not more that six feet distant

And I shivered at the notion

You even lived!

You and I have travelled far

Since that caffeine-fueled introduction.

What if I never acknowledged your grin?

What if we never took that first stroll

Or stood before that black-robed preacher

To say our vows?

Our children's children would have ended

Their possibilities right then

Had I not returned your grin.

You know? 

Just like that grin

You're wearing now.

o