Coffee Shop

Poetry

A tea in one hand, a book in the other
Watching the snow cover the sidewalk
Hearing nothing but white noise as people endlessly talk

Mouths moving, impossible to follow
Chest feeling heavy, difficult to swallow
Breathing becoming far from steady; feeling close to impossible
The chances of coming back to reality highly improbable

Head racing, hands shaking and becoming cold
Trying to look normal in the crowded space — trying to remember what I was told
Trace the outlines of each finger, distract my mind from the trigger

Breathing in, counting to five redundantly until I don’t have to strive for air
People, sometimes more than I can bear
Probably unaware of me in the cafe

Slipping away from surroundings, trying to find my way back to the present
Sometimes I just become so distant
Regaining my focus, the book guiding my resistant mind
Slowly I find myself engulfed in the text, brain too tired to think about what’s next