I had not been here
for 10, 20, 30 years
time slips somehow
as you get older
but it was the same old place
even when it was new
people chat
most things are slow
maybe it will arrive
maybe it won't
in the corner
a woman
about my age
made a cup of tea
last seemingly for ever
her mind was elsewhere
perhaps with a lover since gone
her stare seemed resolute
but in the back of her eye
and in a crinkle in the lips
you could tell
that love may not last a lifetime
but memories do

as I left
she smiled
the train for Liège
was leaving
she had not yet
arrived