Charlotte's Charm

Charlotte was amazing!
She was a small, slender
Tropical island beauty,
An exotic mixture
Of Filipino and Japanese,
With long, long,
Silky, black hair
That hung almost
To the ground.
She had a gorgeous
Natural tan
That never faded
Even during the harshest
Michigan winter,
A warm easygoing smile
And a soft gentle style
That captivated us all,
But it was not
Her outer beauty,
That made her standout
As someone special.
We worked together
In Engineering Services
On the University campus
With over three hundred
Other people,
And she knew
Every single one
Of them by name.
Charlotte had
An encyclopedic mind
For details about people.
She could tell you
Their birthdays
And anniversaries,
As well as
The names and ages
Of their family members.
She made a point
Of getting to know people,
Discovering their interests,
And greeting each one by name.
She cast a spell over all of us
Simply by taking an interest
In who we were,
And letting us know
We were each
Worth remembering.