after Rupert Holmes

As the song describes, there are so many
missed connections, chances at love that go
unrealized, attractive people with whom 
you will exchange no more than eye contact.

But these are not losses in Cupid’s game;
they are amorous possibilities
left in the wake of his arrow – shot true
off a taut string plucked from your beating heart. 

The person in the secondhand bookstore,
in the elevator, the passing train:
you saw them and admired them from afar.

In a parallel universe, you might
have fallen in love, only to find out
          that your goals and values are not aligned.