Another poem, quickly written while chilling in Starbucks tonight.

Lonely lady in the coffee house
Watches the world over the rim of a mug
They all pass by
Unaware of her stare
Her watchful eyes
See so much
The nuances of language
The face and body speak
Captured by the writer
Who sits all alone

A man removes the brightly striped
Noose
He tied just that morning
‘Round his own willing neck
Happy to be free for a moment
Of the life he chose
Many years ago
That he’ll choose again tomorrow
The wife and young children at home
Depend on him

The couple in love
So much in love
But neither committed
Worried by the past mistakes
A slight touch there
A quiet laugh then
Their eyes tell the other
Don’t hurt me again
I’ll trust you if you trust me
Fingers fumble, find one another

The secret meeting held in the back
A foreign language flows from lips
Scary sounds to an untrained
Eavesdropper
Quick and harsh
Then quiet…and scared
A terrorist plot?!
No, just strangers in our land
Discuss their day
And the American dream

The beautiful barista quietly cleans
Sways her hips
And closes her eyes
To the jazz that flows through her soul
She longs for more
From her too young life
Working for others
Until the time to change is right
To follow her stars
To chase her dreams

The crowd ebbs and flows
Almost closing time
But there’s still those
Who drink coffee this late
A curious glance from a man
A jealous look from a woman
A shy hidden smile from a boy
A pitying frown from a couple
To the lady in stripes
Who sits by the cold door

The lonely lady sits, watches,
Drinks hot cocoa with a soft smile
‘What do they see
When they look at me?
Just a suburban woman,
Only a wife and a mom
wasting time in a Starbucks store?
There’s much more to me
If only they look closer
Use their hearts instead of their eyes.’