I shopped, and watched him flirting with the girl
Who worked behind a register up front;
She seemed a little interested, I thought,
And he was trying to strike a sort of balance

In making what he could of his time there,
Without being a nuisance to her work.
A feat I thought he pulled off pretty well,
As she her full attention would then turn

To each new customer who hit her line.
When I got there, he’d swiftly turned aside;
She rang up my few items with a smile.
And as I left, I saw them, once again

As they began to chat. And it was strange:
I found myself invested in those two,
As though I knew them, or had seen them long,
And not for those few moments in a shop.

I’ll never know what happened, but I hope
That love, or something like it, might appear
To those who share this burden we call ‘life’
And bring some extra light
This time of year