At 10:18 on the 16th of September I could be found reading Le Nihilisme Europeen

In a riverside park in Canterbury not far from the magnificent cathedral

I had been in this location for over an hour studying Nietzsche

As I always did on Thursday mornings during term time

The air was cooler than it had been for many months

A brisk northerly had arrived and was now positioned over the city

Yet this favoured the sky which was almost cloud free and flat in its brightness

How I admired the smooth majesty of this sky and the sharp shadows it produced

I took breaks from my study to watch people as the philosopher might have done

They were mostly fresh face students or visitors from overseas yet I found their presence agreeable

Nobody really noticed me or my orange book which was comforting as I did not want company

At eleven I saw you in the distance and waved although you did not notice me immediately

When you did you smiled and waved and positioned yourself on a wooden bench opposite my station

We pretended not to know each other which was a game we often played

And acted like soon to be lovers shy under the fading autumn trees