Gentle Uneasiness

Subtle signs of caution
calling out to me
as I climb the stairs
to the smoke filled cafe

A stranger sitting
waiting anxiously
breathing heavily
for someone who
hasn't yet come
to soothe him

cloaked in cashmere
and smiling sweetly
i take my seat at the counter
caressing the coffee cup
softly as if it were silk
cascading into my throat

Gentle uneasiness
catching my breath
causing me to stare
over my shoulder
at the stranger sitting
staring back at me
waiting anxiously

my heart breaks for him
so lonely there
as I am lonely here
waiting for my perfect friend
to come and cheer me up
for the waitress to fill my cup

something familiar in his eyes
as if he were waiting for me
and i for him
something uneasy in his gaze
unsettling, untrusting
but never unkind

broken but not destroyed
lonely but not despairing
crushed but not without hope

his eyes smile back at me now
and then cigarette smoke fills the room
the nasty haze of poor choices
whisks him away

and I am left sitting
waiting anxiously
breathing heavily
for someone who
has not yet come
to comfort me

gentle uneasiness
lingers around me
cloaked in cashmere
and smiling sweetly

Story ID:	3889
Written by:	S M Scott (bio, contact, other stories)
Story type:	Poem
Location:	Wilmington USA
Year:	2006