Gap

I met a guy on the tube

from Oxford Circus to Victoria.

Obviously Muslim.

So I greeted him

the way we do.

He smiled and greeted me,

then made some remark about the summer heat.

I politely laughed and agreed.

Before getting off at his stop

he offered me some of his perfume.

I applied some and thanked him.

As he left he looked at me

and said: 'May God reward you.'

Then he was gone.

I didn't get his name, his face already a blur,

but I thought of him for the rest of the day.

It felt like a fleeting encounter with a real human

after a thousand years stuck at sea.

The sea of zombies and apathy.

Of quiet, mindless insanity.

It's like time paused and he gave me a wink

that said: 'I know this is all a dream,

and I know that we're both awake.

Hang in there'.

Recalling this later make me choke,

and I excused myself to cry alone.

Washing away the confused tears, I wondered

why I was so affected.

Why did I feel the need

to pray for this stranger?

And that's when I realised.

It's because he is a stranger

and so am I.

We're both strangers in this world.

That moment, between two stations,

is where we crossed paths

on our journey to eternity.

It won't be long

from that day until we meet again,

God-willing.

So mind the gap.