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
Copyright © Rebecca Frank | Year Posted 2017
Post Comments
Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.
Please
Login
to post a comment