Winter Poem

A Winter Afternoon

S. D'Agostino

The air is cold
The sun is bright. The kind of brightness that makes the blue of the midwinter sky deeper
than lapis
Here am I, with my love, sitting in a corner of a quiet café

Plush velvet seats well worn with time
Seats that have born witness to much:
Children playing
Business associates politely bickering
Relationships beginning and ending
Ladies who gossip and lunch

Today, if these chairs could speak, they would tell the story of lovers
Of two entering the café hand in hand, quietly talking and laughing
Secret touches
A head leaning on a shoulder
Eyes smiling and brightly lighting up
Ordering caffè with chocolate and cream

Of two finding time to be alone in a crowd
Making their way to the purple velvet seats and drawing the chairs more closely together
A small table between
The coffee steaming as it sits on the table while fingers meet and entwine

These two so well known to each other
They have been together for ages, it seems
There is a comfort and ease that even strangers note as they
Tell stories of their day to one another and reminisce in shared events

It is all so normal and mundane, yet somehow remarkably unique and special

Plush velvet seats
Bright winter sun

Here am I, with my love, sitting in a corner of a quiet café


**A poem found on a very gloomy winter day.**