Like an icebreaker through this lonely life
You travel
Fearlessly friending whoever’s about
Getting on beyond making do
Mining opportunities as they present
So different are we
My fellow traveling partner
By sheer happenstance
Upgraded were we
Out of the bowels of coach
To sit side by side
In near luxury
And freely converse
About, you know, whatever
In free dialogue
It was all quite unexpected
Though not by you
Seeing that your life’s composed
Of just such encounters
As I came to learn
During our flight together
On that pre-Thanksgiving night
You reached out to me
In ways I would never do
Into my all too shy soul
Mercifully providing me
A momentary sense of companionship
During an otherwise impersonal flight
On that dark and cold November night
Heading East
To be with those
We love
Some flight-long conversations prove ghastly
The product of sheer circumstance
Held captive by those who are needly
Who seize upon any chance
To borrow an ear
That’s not freely lent
Oblivious to how unwelcomed
And tortuous
Such chatter can be
Thankfully spared of that fate
By your ample intellect
And the fact we instantly recognized likeness
In one another
That spans generations
You provided great entertainment
For which I say
“You’re very welcomed”
And, of course,
“Thank You”
My fleeting companion
By sheer happenstance.