On a Sidewalk Jostling

On a sidewalk jostling
with elbows and hats
and a sea of knees,
daydreaming in the bustle
and the blur of the flow,
a child’s face
appeared, freshly weeping:
tear-streaked cheeks,
an immense sadness
overflowing its eyes – altering my thoughts –
then, clutched to a guiding hand,
vanished in the crowd and was gone.