Excelsior

I back-trace
the series of seemingly
fortunate events that led us
to meet that day quite often,
because you see-
If I were not the introvert that
my anxiousness had caused me to be,
I probably would have made it to the grocery
store the night before, as asked- but I hadn't.
So I rescheduled with my friend from Puerto Rico,
who couldn't read English that well and who (still)
doesn't know how to cook, for the next day.
Which was a Saturday.

And you see,
if I were not the kind-hearted person
that my mother (the saint that she is) raised me
to be, I probably would have declined the favor
altogether- but luckily for you and I both, I didn't.
So as fate would have it, and I went to the store with
my friend on that Saturday... even though I was
tired and it was dark out, because I knew
it was the right thing to do.
For doing's sake.

But the thing is,
you see,
if I were not the generous type
and I had actually stayed home and slept away
my selfishness, I would have never passed
the produce section that your doppleganger was browsing
quitely in. And the memory of your face in a darkened bar
from a year ago wouldn't have come jogging back to light,
and your name would have still been another name
lost among my many thoughts, somewhat forgotten.
And your story would have been another story
I would have never heard in my lifetime
or the next.

But I went that Saturday,
you see,
because I felt compelled to do so.
And in doing so,
I was reminded of this guy from a year ago
in some dark bar.

So there we stood
in two separate places
on the surface of this vast Earth
while fate was busy at work,
completely unaware it was a Sunday.
And I am grateful for the
many things that led me to you-

including the man in the supermarket
standing over
the apples.

**Just a rant, a rough draft. I just felt the need to ramble and post something because the crickets have been too loud here recently.**