Man In the Cafe

The moment I saw his face My body cringed with grief As the man asked me what I was doing with my coffee cup I answered in sheer terror of no other way out Fearing this person's intentions I told him I was attempting to take a photo He eagerly offered to help me And as much as I didn't want him to I accepted his radical interest Do you take photography? No, he replied As he began to show me a video of a mystical light shimmering in the sky over and over again My eyes kept glancing down in perfect unison Gazing at his fingertips as they softened over a cigarette Eagerly awaiting his tattered lips As he recited his life story to me in a helpless fashion I desperately awaited the moment where I could be at peace again Capture the photo that I wanted and sip my beverage in quiet contemplation I couldn't surpass the large grey circles under his eyes His sense of loneliness and confusion Hiding behind a facade of optimism  Heart attack stricken When the picture was finally captured I felt stone cold and bitter Feeling everything and nothing all at once For this man ignited a part of me I never wanted to face Memories of sadness and loss Times of struggle Having too much empathy and not enough courage to say no Through my blank stare A sea of emotions were navigating through my body and I was able to witness my desire to free them all