Java

A snapshot.

The iced coffee was chilling her nerves as she rested in a secluded corner in a dark little shop by the edge of town. Her eyes scanned the odd yet cultured-looking ambiance of murmurers sipping black-brewed tea and double espressos, nibbling on stale muffins and scones. Catching an eye partially hidden by a fold of a charcoal hat, she lightly nodded and pretended she was thoroughly enjoying the jazz music this Cafe Frappé was attempting to synchronize with its titanium stools and slashing red and brown paintings hung on the mud-colored walls. None of them would think anything of it; be she an artist or a wanderer, they were used to people rubbing red-splotched eyes and spending hours staring at their beverages. They would leave her in privacy. 

To the outsider, she was a sallow being, a yellowed leaf decaying slowly in the heat of summer, yet she sat like a silent trademark, archaic, slightly poised as if to stir a breeze. What was she waiting for?

The fragments of ice had started to melt from the warmth of her hand, clinging and sluggish, and formed a thin, watery layer at the top. Her fingers seemed permanently curled around her conservative cup; everything was always to be conservative, understated. Perhaps that was why she stopped outside this cafe frequented by the mystery of the town. Perhaps that was why the eye beneath the charcoal hat intrigued her, burned into her very soul if only for a moment. 

She took in a breath through her mouth, all bitterness and an aura of spicy pine that embodied the shop’s menu and the acuteness of its inhabitants. The scents scorched her throat, soothed it, and enflamed her tongue, just like her heart. 

Il n’y a pas de fumée sans feu. 

Author's Note

A snapshot.

*There is not smoke without fire.

Reviews

[w2de35657u687y4324rf]

I am perplexed with the idea of feeling "The scents scorched her throat, soothed it, and enflamed her tongue..."
The vivid poetry in motion displayed there is half-familiar, yet unknown, for an elegant blend of surreal, but applicable prospects.

I would guess that this "snapshot" is derived from real experience, yet I cannot help but feel as if there is an underlying message I'm not quite getting at. The estranged individual in the world that is estranged from itself, perhaps? All beings in this verse are at odds with themselves, curious about the outside world, but cannot fully admit themselves to it while in the dim light of this measured, mud colored life.
The one thing that I'm not up to beat with is the concluding phrase, which Is the "There is not smoke without fire", which is probably an allusion I'm unfamiliar with (that defines a new level of merit for it, and thus lends itself to a means of interpretation). Thus, I feel like my unveiling of this piece is pivoting off of my sphere of knowledge and being kept to one side by my ignorance.

[Chasencult]

Just two words to keep it precise: "professionally amazing"

[Kenneth The Poet]

A cool piece about living in the moment, this wins Hayley!

[koty bell]

awesome read thx 4 sharing

[An owl on the moon]

You truly do paint emotional, stirring connections word upon word, Hayley... And yes, a snapshot that makes the reader hope to find the whole album sitting on a corner booth so he can view the rest of her story... Brilliant...

"Black as the devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel, sweet as love" ~ The recipe for coffee according to the French statesman Talleyrand (1754-1838)

[Mockingbird]

brings to mind a young conservative woman drowning her sorrows in a frappe. she sees this mysterious person who has some kind of look in his eye that intrigues her. perhaps he makes her forget for a moment her woes...we're just left with a cliff hanger. you should really add more to this. it's an excellent beginning to a story.

[Octob3r Star]

That was really beautiful. Awesome imagery. Cheers

[Neva Flores Smith - Cha..]

there must definitely be fire for there to be smoke.....love this snapshot.

[Nautili]

I like this, the drabness, even in a place with jazz and contemporary wall hangings, almost that it was trying too hard to be cool. The man in the hat is a nice contrast, alluring and mysterious, and the perfect lead-in to the last line.

[David]

Reminds me of an older time,just because I don't know many modern writers who can be as amazingly descriptive.Love to see a full story by you sometime.I'll be waiting when the novel comes out.xD