Private Smile

In company, he had the knack

of making you feel

the centre of his universe.

But once I saw him

driving by

in his battered old car

as I pulled up to a junction,

and he didn’t see me,

because he had a far away look

on his face,

and a smile so serene

I felt I was eavesdropping

on an intensely private moment.

And yet that moment

was a gift worth more

than any smile,

and it will always be mine.

John H Davies

15th February 2011