"Braveheart..." "The Cafe` - Life As We Live It" Poem

A piece of an interrupted Chapbook

"The Cafe` - Life As We Live It"
 

"Braveheart..."

I’m not one for joining in -
groups or
clubs or
assemblages -
all the ones given to
un-thought or inarguable causes;
or gatherings -
where people are over-looked
and under-seen-and-heard
by self-recognized guess-perts
of shouldhavebeenquestioned stature.

Yeah, silly me.

I'm silly for not wanting
to be part and parcel of greater holes,
of others oft-proclaimed (as lesser’s)
non-thoughts and self-less-indulgences,

...of taking unheard, uncaring, and unlistened
to previously unrecognized heights
of low-and-meanspiritedness.

”Whathahell???”

- another train got derailed.  I came back to a gray-puff-of-mewing settling into a small circle on my lap… and then the sound and vibration of a little buzzsaw.

”I’m a hard man.  I’ve carried ‘cold’ to places few would recognize or if they did 'recognize' they would turn and RUN, while screaming senselessly all the air from their lungs.”  I ended softly, while lightly petting the kitten that decided to ‘risk-it-all’ on coming up to a stranger for whatever reason kittens have.  The lil thing purred mindlessly and curled even tighter, gathering all the warmth it hadn’t felt since god alone knew when.

”Mary?”  I looked around, ah there she was.  “Mary, I need a tuna sandwich and a glass of milk please… oh and some more coffee too.”

She looked, then looked again and chuckled, “Be just a sec hon.”

Time became a meaningless concept…

”Who’s your friend?” Mary asked while kneeling and setting down the plate of just tuna minus a side of bread, and a saucer of warm milk…

”The Unrepentant Curmudgeon… nah, Braveheart, yeah - that fits.”  I scooped it up and set it gently down within reach of the ‘goods’.  Then watched as the ‘goods’ vanished bit-by-lick-by-bit.  Mary reached and lightly scratched it’s ear, “Braveheart, yeah that works.”  Damn thing purred some more but the ‘goods’ kept vanishing - smart lil ball of puff.

 ....I looked at Mary, “You won’t get any hassle…” I began.  She interrupted with another chuckle and a lil shake of her head and kept lightly scratching the lil ear.  “Marty opened the can of tuna AND gave me the saucer.”  Marty is the owner, nice woman that… more heart than most would give her credit for.

”Well, gotta get back to it,” she said as she smoothly rose and turned to walk away.

I looked down, Braveheart was cleaning and preening.  I had ceased to exist and life was GOOD!

A half-hour later I looked around, gave Mary the check sign and gathered up my stuff.  I repacked my 'possibles' bag and grasped my walking stick, time to be going. 

I walked up to the register - Mary looked then just turned and began walking away.  ”Hey, where's my check?”  “Braveheart took care of it," she flipped over her shoulder with a chuckle, “besides, we only accept purrs today and you look to be ‘purred-out’.”

I almost thought she hadn't noticed the 'possibles' bag hung a tad bit lower than when I arrived... almost.

 
I like sidewalk cafes.

"Braveheart..."

It takes a lot to reach
beyond yourself
Beyond what you know
  and into the unknown...

To risk EVERYTHING you are
and hope, dream, wish
upon
YOUR falling star.

Sometimes you grasp for your star,
and catch it -
and HOLD it tight,
TIGHT within your fingers...
so close to your heart
that it IS part of you -
IS you
...and God is in heaven
and the world is wonder-full
and so bright even sunlight seems dim...

...and sometimes it just falls -
falls through the cracks
'tween outstretched fingertips
so very, very hurt by life.

We share the dark
watching all the falling
...stars
so close,
so very close -
we almost hope...
and sometimes,
sometimes
our shaking hands still
ever so slowly
reach.

Chris

Author's Note

Say what you want - feel free

Reviews

[Becky C Strukamp]

A lot going on here...I enjoyed reading it.