“We first met at a café in the West Village, and I was...

“We first met at a café in the West Village, and I was completely taken by her.  But the next day I had to leave for a six-week trip to Afghanistan.  Soon after I arrived, I bought her a traditional Afghan locket that holds a small prayer.   Instead of a prayer, I wrote a little poem, and stuffed it inside.  It said: ‘Mountains and months away, and I’m still haunted by one afternoon in New York.’”