I. First Meeting
i smile at you over my white chocolate mocha
the steam rises and clouds my glasses
your companion lowers his chair back to four legs
the girl sitting close to him sucks deep on her cigarette
in the back, shadowed corner an old greybeard reads the paper and sips black, straight up
outside the plate-glass window, the rain reflects glimmers of the orange neon Coffee sign against the darkness
you smile and nod back from across the room
at the table beside me, a 30-ish woman stares aimlessly into her Earl Grey
on the other side, a young couple holds hands and sips gazing from each other's cappucinoes
poressed against the glass is a pierced young woman with spikey green hair scribbling on a crumpled scrap of notepaper
in the booth behind me is an older couple, silence stretched heavy and taut between them
my glasses clear
you rise from your seat and head in my direction
*******************************************************
II. Together
You push open the plateglass door for me
I enter, laughing
Our hands meet, and decide they like each other
I tell the waitress, two of whatever he says
You laugh, the thought already done
I pull out your chair for you
You laugh again, and tilt it back on one leg
We sip coffee, and each other
The morning sunshine turns your hair into a halo
Your eyes grab mine, and hold them
Crash! the sound of my cup falling from my hand
The waitress glares up, disapprovingly
We jump, and laugh
And then we can't stop
*******************************************************
III. Done
the door does not slam
as you pass out of it
but nevertheless i hear a deafening crash
it is the sound of our life, our love, our hopes and dreams
crashing and burning into twenty million pieces
everyone in the room is staring at me
i feel numb, in denial
surely you will walk back in, your strong silhouette dark against the harsh noon rays
and casually order a latte as if nothing has happened
i wait
but you do not come back
suddenly i cannot take it anymore
the people, the noise, the oppressive aura of nostalgia
the history we've created here
i rise, abruptly, knocking over my chair
causing an old woman to start and drop her cup
i see the brown stain spread over the floor, contaminating its whiteness
i sympathize with the floor
and step on a small piece of porcelain
creating a satisfying crunch as i stride out the door
*******************************************************
IV. Again.....
i smile at him over my vanilla cappucino
and the steam rises, and clouds my glasses
-6/8/00
