Coffee shop

A true story about my old roommate and I

Remember when we’d sit in the coffee shop

Sharing stories about life?

Laughing

Joking

Connecting.

I still remember that day.

You asked me to move in with you

                Strictly as your roommate, of course.

Two months later I had my address changed

And your home became my home

Your pets became companions

That I lovingly took care of.

I’d cook breakfast

For the guests that never seemed to leave

And all of us would revel in the scent

Of homemade pancakes.

 

Funny how a couple years can change things.

How a couple years can break things.

I saw you today.

But your stone cold eyes were not looking.

Your mind was miles away

Though you were just inches.

I could have reached out

And said hello.

But I didn’t.

I wasn’t in the mood to talk to strangers.

 

Reviews

[Lori]

This is an intriguing poem, because I think we've all lost friends at one time or another, so I certainly could relate to the feelings in it. I really, really loved the end. It has poignancy as well as wit. I did, however, find myself wanting to know just a little bit more. What happened in the couple of years that broke things? I do love the contrast between the warmth of the first stanza with the laughter and the smell of pancakes, and then the cold, barren feeling of the second stanza. The change is so abrupt that it seems like a one instant that actually changed things, and not just the passage of time. I really like the poem as it is, because I think it does show the feelings of the narrator quite well, and that certainly is the most important thing.

[An owl on the moon]

Amazing how you take just a few strokes of your brush and paint something with such yellow warmth and joy, that ends so bittersweet in cooler hues. The portrait is magnificent, and more poignant from the truth it carries... Brilliant...