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
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