A smile to greet all the regulars
A split-second of eye contact
Disappears as instantly as the transaction
Suddenly I’m a poet…
“G’morning!”
“Morning!”
Such a lovely smile
And she’s tall, like me
But something heavy
In the eyes
Shoulders
Walk
I see you, but I don’t –
The cliché commentary
Packaged response
So cheap, easy, lazy
I’m sorry
Still on the same music channel
I wish other places were open this early
He asked about the music
I don’t even notice it anymore
We changed it after the holidays
Thank god
Three months already
A thousand options
Forget it
“Here’s the tablet, if you want to -”
“Nah, then I’d feel responsible if it sucks.”
“That’s how I feel too! Here’s your coffee.”
Three months coming here daily
I still don’t know her name
A well-oiled machine this place
A hundred of the same faces every morning
Some make eye contact
Then reach for their phone
Why am I still in this town?
This month for sure
Moving on
Again
No answers here
She’s cute
I wonder –
“Hey, Jerry.”
He leans heavier on the cane all the time
Like my great uncle used to
“Are you…”
“Slipped and fell at the bus stop.”
Damn this old body
I feel so useless
How much longer?
“Oh, that’s awful! Is there anything -”
“No, no. Thank you. Just the usual.”
I didn’t meant to speak so loudly
When did I become this grumpy and gray?
So much pain
Remember to smile
Five minutes to my break
Reminds me of the ex
I hope she doesn’t get stuck here
Someone’s at my table
Written by Trance Blackman. Originally published on tranceblackman.com on 01 April 2026.