The Coffee Shop

2/17/2019
the lights flicker
a sockless homeless man draws beautiful
portraits of animals on empty coffee cups
a young couple in the corner
hosts a jolly laugh, a conversation
so loud they invite all of us in
a middle-aged woman by the window
drafting her first version of a novel
patrons come in, patrons go out
a revolving door of characters
existing in a world their own
three young girls on a couch
each having different conversations
on their phones, together, but alone
the barista who calls everyone
'darling' or 'beautiful' stills the blinking lights
bringing illumination to the stage of their play
and here i sit, reading Bukowski, watching
it all, part of it all, just another player
in this scene called 'the coffee shop'