the glances i give to strangers are never just that.. always, i catch their eyes & see far more than what i had intended to steal with only a quick look.

this one--sauntering proudly, bag thrown strategically across his shoulder to convey that careless, screw-you-all demeanor--was special, though. the hair, clothes, and chosen surroundings were all in accordance with him.... seen only in pieces elsewhere, but now here, tangible & whole.

and maybe if my eyes were as swift as my mind this image would comfort me at night, providing promises beyond the hopeless days. but i saw, staring for too long at the sun, what conceals itself behind apparent perfection. . .that i can fall in love with only this, someone removed and unable to be defiled through familiarity and the disappointments that follow, a glossy, airbrushed picture in a fashion magazine, pressed between pages containing samples of perfume i'll never purchase.

...breath held as i passed by, warning myself,
"the only thing bringing him close to me is the way that he walks."