On making connections

Social isolation isn't good for the body or soul. Lori Levy writes of a brief encounter with a stranger on a busy day:

And though I do not stop to chat--
for that would be as out of character as
a bashful child jumping up to sing--
my smile widens and turns real,
melting inward like a flood of warmth,
as when a song you've always loved
comes on the radio and fills you up again,
if only for a moment.