To-day we met in the street, by chance --
We whom the years make wise --
And you gave never a backward glance,
But I saw the swift remembrance
Light up your sombre eyes.
The west wind blew down the dusty street,
At the close of a bitter day,
But a warmth from the past rose up to greet,
And life for a moment was fair and sweet
To a woman growing grey.
For I was young when I first knew you,
We were gay and glad together;
Have you forgotten the river's blue,
Where buttercups in their glory grew
In the warm October weather?
The old pine ridge, where we used to meet;
The gleam of the sandy track;
Then it was you who found love so sweet,
And yet to-day, in the windy street,
'Twas I only who looked back.
First published in The Queenslander, 30 August 1905
