The following submission appeared in “We Are Newton: A Neighbourhood Anthology.” See here for more information about the project.
By: Ellen Niemer
It was a sunny Saturday afternoon.
The calendar said April,
But it felt like June.
I walked to the library without a care,
A smile on my lips, wind in my hair.
Drivers roared by with
Windows rolled down,
Cyclists pedalled by
Without a sound.
When a bicycle approached
I politely stepped aside,
Thinking that the sidewalk
Was no place to ride.
I glanced at the cyclist.
He must have been seventy,
And despite his age
Was dressed rather dapperly:
Neatly wrapped turban
Oiled white moustache
Navy blue suit
Crisp white shirt
Polished dress shoes on his feet
I smiled, he smiled
And dismounted from his bike.
I anticipated
A request for directions,
A comment on the weather.
But the old man leaned close,
A smiling, spritely elf.
He took me in his arms
And crushed me to himself.
A friend asked me later,
“What did you do?”
Should I have called the police?
Screamed my head off
Or run down the street?
What did I do?
The only thing
That felt right:
I hugged him back with all my might.
We smiled and continued on our way
After telling each other to have a nice day.
Because I stepped out of his way,
A stranger’s hug had made my day.