Share   Print  Save   Become a Fan

poem

Woman Gives Birth at Café,
Refuses to Leave until Latte Finished



There was a man crying, walking his dog,
and a woman drove by
on a flat tire.

They brought coffee to the tables
in large glasses on white saucers.
There’d be long silver spoons
with which to stir in strong

dark espresso
floating in layers in the steamed milk.

Don’t forget
the girl with long blond hair,
fiddling with her key in a car door
outside, saying,
“Oh! This isn’t even my car!”

And yes, having conversations about
catching a man, seated in this same café
when you were young, not pregnant,
not looking down the road to life very far.

--
Copyright © 2008 by Jerry Ratch
See: www.jerryratch.com