check, please

i live in the city

everyday, i ride the subway home

one day,

i got off at the wrong stop

(on purpose)

and wandered around aimlessly

until i found this quaint little cafe

with an aura of homeyness surrounding it

being it a cold december day,

i went inside

and felt it's warmth before i even opened

the door

i took a seat

and this boy

with sloppy brown hair

and dull grey eyes

(so dull they were bright)

came to take my order

i said

"red velvet cake and vanilla coffee, please"

he said

"okay"

(i hate that word)

i was satisfied with my meal,

for it filled me with warmth as i had wished,

but then i said

"check, please"

and he went off to fetch the receipt

but when he came back and gave it to me,

the words were obscured by a scrawled print written in sharpie:

"your eyes hold the light

of a thousand years

a candle light beside dinner

an ember in the hearth

-james"

such beautiful poetry

"is there something wrong ma'am?"

he asked

i looked up at his name tag

"james"

he wanted to stay hidden behind his words

i left him be