The sun beats down over the park, another glorious day at\nhand,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cool breeze in the air compellin\u2019 the tall trees to a\ngentle dance,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Birds soar through the sky, looking down at the strange\nearthbound juveniles, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The offspring of those strange humans running and frolicking,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keeping the adults entertained and laughing but sometimes\ntesting their patience,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the young families, weekend warriors and retired\ncouples a lone figure\u2019s emerged from his rabbit hole,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Attracted by the picturesque outdoors, a welcome change from\nthe hermit life indoors,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Left the apartment, dressed in plain shirt and slacks,\nsunglasses on and hair slicked back,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thirty minutes to be spent wandering, maybe forty max before\nreturning,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nature sure is invigorating, enhanced by the healing touch\nof sun,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Perfect day for a walk\u2019, thought he as he filled his\nparched lungs,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Made his way to the park where the party seemed to take\nplace,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fortunate that it\u2019s still mid-morning, surely by afternoon\nthere\u2019ll be very little space,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Circled the vast patch of greenery within the concrete\njungle of the city,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three full laps should suffice, consider this a dose of\nweekend exercise,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Passed the obstacle course where the young performed like monkeys\nin the circus,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hanging, swinging and jumping, occasionally got their\nparents panicking,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Joggers comin\u2019 from all directions, made like Roadrunner\nwith no signs of slowin\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Mirin\u2019 the flowers and trees, their movement\u2019s mesmerizin\u2019\ndictated by the wind\u2019s constant blowin\u2019,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meditated over the fountain at the center, on which stood\nseveral sculptures posin\u2019 for photographers, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Buskers doing their thing nearby as kids prowl the fountain\nwanting to touch the muscled marble warriors posing with drawn weapons,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our walker trudges towards a glade of trees lined with\nbenches, found one that\u2019s vacant,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sat down and started meditating, happily on his lonesome among fellow weekenders,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unaware his momentum was about to be rocked, rolled, shaken\nthen flipped over,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She came from out of nowhere, sat on the same bench, away\nfrom him, mind you, way out the opposite end,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blocked off the world through plugged ears, head bouncing\ngently to a tune that only she can hear,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wearing a pink long-sleeve despite the warmth of the sun, shiny\nraven hair tied into a bun,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fringe held back by a clip, away from her eyes, lips a\nbright red and her skin a pearl-white, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several vacant spots nearby, why sit in one already taken?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paid her no mind at first, he went out for relaxation and not\nsocializin\u2019, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let her and the rest carry on while he minds his own\nbusiness,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His powers of resistance were soon challenged and her scent\nwas the catalyst,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sweet and fruity yet hardly nauseating, slowly he turns and\nobserves her movements,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Playin\u2019 with her phone she seemed oblivious, occasionally\nlooked \u2018round all directions,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Relieving the stiffness in her neck and back, waiting for a\nfriend, perhaps?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her head bobbing to the beats within her plugs, her upper\nbody dancing too,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hair bun shook slightly as she hummed, gotta admit it\u2019s\nkinda cute,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Couldn\u2019t deny these feelings, she\u2019s the flame and he the\nproverbial moth,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After years of flying solo he might have found a potential\nco-pilot,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tried to gather his train of thought, time to get back on\ncourse,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018You\u2019re on the brink of derailment,\u2019 muttered he, \u2018full\nsteam ahead and floor it!\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Had no intention of fishing but one can\u2019t predict the\nocean\u2019s patterns,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe her presence is a sign, it\u2019s now or never, he\u2019d be foolish not to seize this moment,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘What’cha gotta lose?’ asked his inner voice, ‘man up and talk to her,’<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sounded like a double, the fear of rejection’s a heavy one to bear,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He eyes her once more, just as she looked towards his direction,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their eyes cross and paralysis hits him, she smiles back in response before playing with her phone again,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Could this be an opening? Suddenly confidence is sky-high, gone are the ever-swirling presence of butterflies,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gotta shoot his shot or forever wonder what might have been, put it all on the line and go all-in,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three deep breaths and a silent prayer, summoned all the\ncourage he could muster,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Silenced the nerves by focusing on a potentially brighter\nfuture,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But alas, she looked to her left and waved joyfully, jumped to\nher feet excitedly, ran towards a handsome gentleman and threw her arms around\nhim passionately,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re finally here,\u201d she cried, \u201cHope you didn\u2019t wait too\nlong,\u201d he replied,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot at all,\u201d said she, \u201cwell then let\u2019s go,\u201d said he,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Off they went, the gentleman and his lady, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our guy stands up and heads back, slowly,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Enough of the outdoors, gonna head back inside,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She was someone else\u2019s catch, better luck next time. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The sun beats down over the park, another glorious day at hand, The cool breeze in the air compellin\u2019 the tall trees to a gentle dance, Birds soar through the sky, looking down at the strange earthbound juveniles, The offspring of those strange humans running and frolicking, Keeping the adults entertained and laughing but sometimes … <\/p>\n