Her Assignment

Rain falls on the steps to the subway,
seeps into my black leather shoes.

Girders are stained with an oily patina,
the platform, littered with discarded passes,
is crowded and grey.

My jacket hangs open and loose,
is missing the button that holds it together.

I swipe at the front of my shirt,
the narrow pinstripes
that are wet from the rain.

As I wait there are stories,
imaginative fiction my mind is creating
from people I see.

One is a student, a young Asian woman
who asks if I’ll help by taking a survey
she needs for a class.

She is timid and fumbles with her pen
and green spiral notebook.

I am drawn to her smile,
the red lacquer paint on her nails
and her bangs hanging over her eyes.

She thanks me for helping,
then quietly whispers
can two perfect strangers
fall in love on a train?