Why oh why
must passersby
pass me by
with no ‘hello’
nor a ‘hi’?
But then I too
am a passerby
and I pass by you
and you pass by me
never to know
what might have been.

And why, oh why
is there no word
for stopandchatters
doublebackandnatters
or quickjabber-yakers?

Is it because
these not-there words show
what’s not-there
in our world?
Where we comply
with being just passersby
rather than wait and create
a fiveminute-mate
(who might turn out to be really great).

So hereby, next time I pass you by
and if I catch your eye,
I implore thee!
Why, oh why
should we not try and see
what else we could be?