What your Heart Forgot to Say by the poet

Chris sat at the bar sipping his whiskey. The others had left after settling another case courtesy of Orrin Travis. He was proud of the work the team had done, but needed some quiet time before he drove back home. He nodded toward Orrin who was sitting a few seats down and was just about to pay his tab when he heard her voice coming from the nearby piano. She had a haunting quality to the words as he listened to the lyrics.

"This year...
I can hear guitars gently playing
Strange...
They should be saying what your heart
forgot to say..."

He stopped sipping his drink and looked at her. He was mesmerized by her voice and by her eyes. He felt as if there was no one in the room but them.

"And this year...
Every where I go there is you...
In the misty morning meadows
You reach out to me...
Warm and sweet
and tender..."

She couldn't help but look back at him as she continued to sing. Their eyes met and she felt drawn to him. Did he know how the lyrics made her feel? Did he feel the same way?

"Then I remember you more...
Than anyone...
Anything...
Any love before"

He walked toward the piano and gazed even deeper into her eyes. He wanted to reach out but he was afraid to break the spell.

"And this year
Yes this year
Is a very sad year...
For sure..."

She ended the song on the piano with a small flourish and smiled at him. He took her hand and kissed her cheek as tears formed in his eyes. The lyrics and the lovely woman who sang them took his breath away. He felt a sense of gratitude to know that someone had put words to feelings for which he had no words. The memories came back but this time the ache wasn't as strong as before. He sensed she knew that. She pulled away and got her shawl. Before he could find the words, she was gone. He looked back at the bar and noticed that Orrin had left and the bartender was closing up. He dug in his pockets for his keys and headed out the door. The memory lingered...

What your heart forgot to say... He wondered if he would ever meet her again to thank her in the way he wanted to. He wondered if she were real at all. He longed for the moment warm and sweet and tender...

finis