Dodgems

Deserted funfair in the rain.
Just the two of us.
A day out after so many years.
You're looking well, I say.

We'd go on all the rides,
but there's no one there.

At last.
Dodgems.
My God they're fast, I say.
We skim the rink in ever-decreasing circles.
It's like a dance.
Then we're poles apart.
Suddenly,
you're hurtling towards me.
The picture freezes:
Your hands on the wheel -
and that smile -
that smile -
Then it's over.
We're moving again.
You steer right,
I steer right.
The collision never takes place.

Sometimes,
a smile
or its memory
takes you back
to an idea
of what happiness was
but wasn't.
Sometimes,
even on Dodgems,
collisions can't be avoided.