Two Books Poem by Jim Yerman

Working with many different people in the bookstore
(This should come as no surprise)
I am blessed with many opportunities
to look into their eyes.

Each one of us is our own book…
chapters filled with joys and sorrows and cares…
and I love how our two books come together
when my eyes meet theirs.

For in that moment…that brief interchange
be it in the evening or in the day…
their eyes can often tell me more of their story
than their words could ever say.

I'm amazed how the eyes can convey a feeling
with but a momentary look…
exchanged for but an instant
over the purchase of a book.

And, although our stories come together only for a moment…
and then that moments gone…
It's nice for each of us to be a portion
of the current page we're working on.

It's nice to think from a simple exchange
that started with a look…
I could be a sentence…
perhaps a paragraph
in someone else's book.

And from that brief encounter
where our two stories intertwine
they could be a sentence…
perhaps a paragraph
in mine.