J.B. Hogan’s most recent poem to appear here was “The Mantle” (February 2018). 

A Random Stranger
By J.B. Hogan

It was not certain she would go.
Desire struggled with indifference, doubt.
Distance mattered, chances of success seemed remote.
Even on the road, turning back was an option.
But she went, parked well away
from the bookstore.
It was cold, a sharp wind chilled her legs
as she walked.
Inside, warm, comfortable,
She set up her table, spread out the books.
He came a little later, sat beside her.
Little said at first but
when things emptied out they
talked and visited, found an easy
rapport a simple, human connection.
Later, months beyond, when the connection
remained, grew, she expressed her
appreciation, displayed her own
kindness and depth. “Thanks,”
she told him, “for not making me
a random stranger you once
passed by.”