Somehow I knew exactly what to expect
Stepping up into lands I don’t quite belong
If familiar we might have shared a slight smile
Small spark of a more supple warmth
Followed by a trade of hellos 
And “How are you?”s

From my place in the back row shadow
I work on my nerves as you drift on by
If familiar you might have let your fingers
Surf the space between my shoulder blades
I might have caught your fleeting hand
In a lingering touch.

 You saved my life once but you’ll never know
Caught me in random light and lifted my soul
If familiar, it’s a story I would gladly share
Let you in on a piece of my joy
Except to open that particular door
Might expose your dark side

Priceless to me, I need to keep you pure
So I elect to keep my precious silence
And walk away from you again
To preserve us as we are
To try to make you anything more to me
Would destroy
The sanctity of you.