The other day in the supermarket

a warm small hand unexpectedly found mine

and on looking down I saw

a pair of huge brimming dark eyes..

He'd lost his Mum, he said

and could we find her, please?

We found her fairly rapidly

but not anxious in the least, so

panic passed and his world revolved again.

B ut there was a dark cloud shadow over mine

as I remembered times when I had had

a starfish hand in mine so often

and dark eyes to look into most days.

Now she never even phones.