The Coffee Shop

The coffee goes down hot and bitter,

mellowed by milk, steamed and frothy,

the way good coffee is supposed to taste;

and it’s good just to sit here, unhurried, slowed,

and take in the world of the coffee shop,

the smell of today’s news on the table in front of me,

the frothy sound of steamed milk foaming,

echoing the chatter, the talk, the laughter of others,

like me, enjoying a few moments, an hour perhaps, 

a little time with friends, a good book, a pen and a blank sheet of paper,

a cup of coffee, hot and bitter, milk-mellowed,

the way good coffee is supposed to taste,

a little time away from the hurried life,

tucked inside where life is slowed,

unhurried, the coffee shop.