Coffee for Three

Her thoughts lie heavily on her shoulders

And she sits there, head in hand, pondering

Thoughts of the world flicker in her mind

And she raises her head, wondering.

Does she contemplate the simple life she leads?

Does she worry about the greater good?

Is she lost in distant thought of better times?

Or is she pensive, thinking of her now flown brood?

The companion sits lost to this world

Absorbed in the screen of a virtual reality

Not noticing the furrowed brow across the table

Focussed on the bleating streams of inane banality

Does she give a thought to her strained companion?

Does she contemplate the woes she grieves?

Is she so obsessed with her own importance?

Or is she just blind to the hole she leaves?

Together they sit with their steaming mugs

She raised her head once more and begins to speak

The companion replies and sweet engagement has begun

Over doughnuts and coffee at the end of the week

As they dissect their week, the furrows are lifted

Making plans for the weekend, smiles are exchanged

As their worlds intertwine, the observer takes note

Each gesture and movement, their secrets contained

Sisters, or lovers, the observer surmises

Noting their actions, the thoughts roam unbridled

Coffee companions whose whispers are silent

Their thoughts mere suggestions of a mind uninvited

Their story is told through the thoughts of another

Observers conjecture lays their lives in full view

Descriptive suggestions forge an image of vibrance

As they sit with their coffee, the companions, and you.

© Fergus Martin

July 2013