This is the world of the ATM at lunch,
It swallows your bankcard with a munch,
Then, when the money appears,
Yell, "I won, I won, my dears!"

This is a poem for hype,
Are you an outdoorsy type?
We'll get drunk on the patio,
That's outdoorsy--way to go!

I woke up kinda early this morning,
the sun peeking through my windows,
so happy and bright,
I'm always so grateful to see that lovely little morning light

I'm just not feeling that tired,
that's OK,
I SHOULD get up,
so I shuffle around,
as I'm really fatigued,
even though I'm not feeling that tired.
I crawl in and out of bed like 6 or 7 times,
too cold, too cold,
trying!!!

I don't want to cook anything,
nope
I want to go to the store,
get something to eat,
and drink
cuz see I don't even want to make it,
not even coffee.... ahhhh the smell

I'm not a lazy chef,
or person at all,
I would normally cook for myself,
and EVERYONE else too,

So I do,
I walk one block,
to the store,
about,
but it's really cold,
so I'm more than shuffling!

Let's do this thing,
as I walk to the store I say in my head.

And thinking how I passed a few people smiling with my hands tucked in my wool jacket.
Brrrrrrr ...
Once inside and shaking off the cold,
I head to the coffee bar emmmm.
I get myself a coffee,
I add a little cream,
a tiny sprinkle of sugar,
they have the good kind here,
and it's pretty cheap too,
so worthwhile,
because the coffee is really good.

I look over and I see the cutest
two elderly people,
I've ever seen,
he has a walker and,
he's really about five feet two,
she's probably a little shorter than that.

Talk about return to innocence,
I love old people!
It won't be too long before I call myself truly old!
He looks at me as if not sure,
whether he should smile until,
I do a nice bright one,
I say good morning!
I don't know this man,
but he says good morning to me,
so cheerfully,
and his wife starts talking,
and I say yes it's so cold,
freezing out there ain't it?
Yut replied,
But it sure is good for your health,
and everything a great way to start the day, get out and do it!

Yeah right,
I'da been dead a long time ago if I didn't! she says,
The little man has some money,
all laid out and I reach,
for the cream and his wife say,
watch your money,
curiously,

And I say oh don't worry I won't take it on ya!
She says oh no I believe you I believe you!
It must be a Vermont thang!
The little old man says,
I'm going to buy your coffee!!!

I am just floored,
I don't look like I need free coffee do I?
and I tell him I have plenty of money sir,

Really maybe there's someone who needs it more here?
But he insists and paid for my coffee,
we didn't speak another word except when I said thank you so very kindly,. and I told him,
that I would pay it forward,
when things are dismal and dark,
when you can't see even the tiniest Spark maybe look for it in the kindness of strangers.

Cherie Nolan © 2016

Remind me where we met before
inside the forests of tender gifts
rendered truce and traced return

In dreams of lighted night harvests
on the reminence of an essence blend
where the rise of the sun was a mystery

I saw your smile at the unsat moor
decorated with a blotch of heather
by the meadow as the earth trembled

As your soul captured a blood of me
in a body not known by my gravity
but in a heart sweltered in eternity