A life of my own,
   where the light shins through curtains
   and remnants of rain on the veranda
   where we danced last midsummer
A little corner in the world,
   where my childhood dreams
   become the lens of reality now
   dancing in the limelight
   of an overachiever's dares
A coffee shop down the street,
  a seat unoccupied
  a muffin left uneaten
  a glance at the heavy door
  a coffee stain on the oakwood floor.

I seek coffee shops,
Quiet, hidden,
Tucked away,
Dark wood, mugs with fat lips,
Unobtrusive, corner seat,
Nothing forbidden.

Ah! The smell of the brew,
Nose tingles, Eyes closed,
Sublime fascination,
Moments to settle in and roots I grew.

A book opens or my laptop does,
Ambient sound soothes as a caressing touch.
My coffee arrives in its carriage comfortably so,
I reach out and pick it up,
All mine, nowhere to go.

Look around my wandering gaze,
Lost souls, finding their way,
With their thoughts through the haze.
What do I do,
I watch them wafting and waning with their thoughts,
Some with others yet alone,
Some alone, yet not lone.

Coffee companion, friend,love,
Subliminal cold or hot,
And without a word exchanged,
A clan, a tribe,
Community found.

What’s your brew,
Dark and strong
Or golden hued
Or perhaps pure white,
A dash of brown to bring to light,
Night or day,
Coffee in the shop,
Is my magic hop.

maybe we’ll meet again one day at the coffee shop in somewhere and then, the timing will be right and everything will be perfect

sunken in couches at coffee shops
have been loved too much
by too many

cushions gone lumpy
legs that can no longer support weight
coffee stains that will never come out

though there’s been many that have loved it
there hasn’t been one that has loved it enough