The other man

A man was taking a walk down a river bank when he saw a second man coming towards him.
As the other got closer, he realised that he knew him.
It was himself.
‘It’s nice to be noticed!’, said the first.
To his astonishment, the second man walked by
without a glance.
‘Hey!’, cried the first, ‘Surely I know you!’
But the other was unconcerned:
‘Who are you?’, he called back, then carried on his way.
The first stood thunderstruck to watch him go.
‘Two eyes, twice the crime!’, he declared, ‘That man was me!’
The other made no gesture.
And the first man understood
To his astonishment
That he himself was not the first man
But the second.