Imagine…

You are seated outside at the World’s Cafe. Your waiter approaches with a tab. But where should be food and drink listed, are your life’s worries instead.

The troubles magnify on the paper,
Anxieties intensify as you read,
Growing stronger each passing second,
Planted by some invisible seed.

You thought you could escape the hassle
By wining and dining somewhere nice.
But now your worries are listed on a lunch tab-
Each solution marked with a set price…

[Enter, stage left: FRIEND #1. He sits at the next table over from you, picks up a menu, opens it and, without looking at you, speaks].

“So this one’s gonna be on me,
Don’t give that bill another care.
I’ve had some good fortune as of late-
Now have got some extra to spare. 

[FRIEND #1 looks over at you as he closes his menu. His gaze is warm, yet purposeful, making his persona remain vividly clear as the remainder of the café and seated guests appear now in a haze.  Their image continues to blur in comparison to the man’s striking clarity].

“I see you’re having an ‘off’ day
I can reset that for you-
Let you recharge and restart
Til your energy reboots.  

[FRIEND #1 stands up and sits opposite you.  His posture is comfortable, his actions familiar, as if he has taken the chair across from you at another meal.  The blurred quality of the café’s surroundings intensifies, transforming guests into characters from a Monet watercolor, until all at once, they disappear, leaving empty tables in utter stillness.  FRIEND #1 speaks]. 

“This one’s on me now.
I’ll take today’s bill,
I’ll shoulder your worries,
Until inner storms quell.  

[FRIEND #1 rests hand on check].

“You worry about your health,
Your test, your career.
Put those fears aside
[FRIEND #1 reaches hand across table and takes yours].
I am with you, my dear.

[FRIEND #1 looks down at his bare wrist.  You watch as a ray of sunlight reflects through his water glass and onto his arm, producing the magical illusion of a shining golden watch where before was bare skin].

“There’s plenty of time left-
Life’s watch did not break.
You are on the right track.
You will not arrive late.

[FRIEND #1 leans his head back toward the sky.  He inhales deeply.  As he draws in new air, the clouds move in compliance with his breath’s request.  They float backwards and forwards as he inhales and exhales their fate’s direction].

“Stop to take a deep breath.
Just smile at the clouds.
Soak in the quiet moment.
Anticipate the loud.  

[FRIEND #1 pauses, leans earnestly forward again.  His gaze is intent.  His connection is only to you.  He whisperingly implores].

“Then trust your thoughts to me
Though you may feel scared.
I know your thoughts are fragile-
I will handle them with care. 

[FRIEND #1 draws cash from his pocket, as the hustle and bustle of the surrounding environment slowly returns.  A waiter drops a fork; a guest’s water glass clinks against her ceramic plate; a laugh floats over the crowd from a distant table].

“Dare to de-stress
For one moment or two.
Smile an extra smile.
Let laughter renew.  

[FRIEND #1 stands up and walks back to his own table.  The café is just as it was in the beginning.  FRIEND #1 sips on a glass of water, lemon wedge floating inside].

“For life often serves you lemons
Instead of sweet lemonade,
So today just tell your waiter
To pass the check my way.  

[FRIEND #1 reaches out open hand, asking for the check].

“Send your worries on over
Dare to be stress-free.
I brought some extra cash-
This one’s on me.”

——

This poem/post/story is one of those random products of a daydream that was lucky to meet with enough intentionality to actually be recorded in the endless storage space of my computer.  It has been in that hard drive for a few weeks already, so I thought it was at last a good time to make its “public” appearance.  One of the stranger things I have written over the years- I don’t even know if it is a poem, a play, or just an intermittently interrupted string of thoughts.  But all-in-all, those titles don’t actually matter here.  After all, if it’s something I feel like sharing while at a coffeehouse, I suppose it has every right to start a Coffeehouse Conversation.

This post is dedicated to all of my friends- here is a short daydream to break up the day’s reality. 🙂