319. A routine encounter

it happened again
today

you know
how sometimes
you look at a word
and you wonder
was it always spelled the same
did it always sound the same
a word you encounter often
and yet seldom pause to register
and suddenly
it pops out at you
and
you keep looking at the word
in amusement and amazement
and you keep saying it to yourself
until you can restore it to familiarity
and begin ignoring it again

yes
it happened again
i saw a familiar face smile at me
from behind the counter
at the bar
at the end of the street
and for a brief moment
he seemed unusually adorable
only
till I stared
long enough

----

The word that got me today was
'ardentness' 
i think i am in love with it
did this word always exist?! it does seem familiar
I have spent the last 5 minutes staring at its spelling 
and saying it to myself :)
I am totally bonkers!!