Coffee shop

Hand in hand they come in
Eyes locked,
Bills and worries they forgot,
To share an iced tea.
And their lives "forever and ever"...

Some days there's progress
And humming and muffins.
Mostly there's frustration,
One unsolved equation.
A metaphor for the researcher's life.

Does reading for hours help?
And the hot chocolate?
What can bring back the caress
Or fill the emptiness,
Of a life taken away after fifty years?

Books are discussed
Looks are exchanged
But not phone numbers, not yet.
The coffee is paid for, shy thanks given.
Another month to read, to plot, to yearn.

It's usually Darfur or Iraq.
Today, they talk about "The power of one"
"Think global, act local", her eyes burn
With passion, her minions nod,
And add organic cane sugar to their chai lattes.

Once again, inspiration from a song - this time, an unabashed old-fashioned romance, reminiscent at once of The Beatles and Extreme and others - familiar yet refreshingly different. Made me wonder - if coffee shops could document the lives they witness, what would that look like?
Just found out - the song can be downloaded for free here! Apparently the diamond guys discovered the song before I did :)