A bite to eat as the sun slips into the night A passing stranger smiles as I fold my napkin The country ballad rolls across the empty tables As the door opens, another stranger slips in No smile from this one, weight of the world With shoulders bowed they sidle to the counter I watch their movements, tired and mute They pay and move along, a human automaton The little girl with her smile is watching, too The sad man oozes into a seat and sighs Sunshine watches with her bright eyes A smile lies cached inside her, ready to spread She stands, she wants to go to him, she waits Her mother asks her to sit back down Shes unaware of the concern her daughter has The stranger looks at the speaker above him Is it the genre of music or the performer he dislikes Perhaps its the honkytonk love story he rebukes His order is up and he goes through the motions Sunshine is swinging her legs, still watching him I am observing, not participating, I see both The energy, trust, love and joy she wants to share I see his need, his loss, the shadow over him Part of me wants her to walk over and smile at him Part of me is afraid he would snap her in half The moment has passed, she and parents leave The Shadow leans over his plate, drawing in tighter Closing off, shutting things and people out Suddenly, theres a tapping on the window As one, the Shadow and I look out into the void There, pressed against the outside glass, a face Just a small nose, bright eyes, freckles and a laugh Silent giggles as the face is wrested away by mom The Shadow stares at the vacant space left behind What does it remind him of, what memory unfolds The Shadow turns back to his food, lifts it to his mouth He hesitates, he hangs there in silence and thought And then, the tiniest, faintest, most fragile of smiles It is fleeting. It scampers away from that barren place But, it was there, if for but a moment, tremulous and frail Thank Heavens for little, red haired girls that giggle And for the tired, worn hearts that see them
Posted on: Tue, 22 Apr 2014 01:01:26 +0000
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