Sitting at the stoplight,
she found herself
glancing at her watch
and drumming her fingers
on the steering wheel.
Sigh… late for work again.
The elderly man rode his bicycle
on the sidewalk,
heading toward the intersection.
His white t-shirt billowed
as he pedaled.
His hat was shade
for his weathered face
on a very hot summer's morning.
The bicycle must have been
in the wrong gear
for he was pedaling furiously
and moving slowly.
“Oh please don’t cross in front of me,"
she whispered.
She knew, with her luck,
the light would turn green
if he did
and she would have to wait
even longer.
Just as he was moving
from sidewalk to intersection,
he looked directly at her.
She smiled,
nodded her head
and waved.
He stopped …
stopped in front of her car.
The man smiled
and tipped his hat.
It was worth the wait
at the intersection
that morning.
She couldn’t remember
the last time that a man
tipped his hat at her.
She wondered if he could remember
the last time a woman
smiled and waved
at him.
It was indeed a
tip-of-the-hat sort of morning
when two strangers,
both with places to go,
dared to look
into faces
instead of turning
heads away.
Yes, it was a
tip-of-the-hat,
kingdom-come-on-earth
sort of morning!
(c)2013 anna murdock
