Sitting in a corner cafe
Sipping my espresso
Its gone cold
Rain drops streaking down the windows
Colorful lights glisten on the city street
And disappear as cars glide by
The shadow of a lone stranger punching on a bag
In a frosted window across the avenue
People scuttling down the sidewalk
Some with umbrellas
Others not so fortunate
The world is a living, breathing organism
Every spark a life
An individual world

The cafe's lights shine bright around me
Like my cold espresso and I are on display
For window shoppers to pause and gaze in
And scrutinize every detail
Before they hurry along
Running back down the sidewalks to their lives
Whatever they may be

The air in this place is rigid
Clientele sitting with their cold coffees too
Glaring at their screens
Typing, clicking away
Like zombies
The absence of emotion on their faces
No one speaks a word
What a happy place
I'm afraid to breathe too loudly
God forbid I should cough
Or my phone rings
And I'll have to suffer their indiscriminate stares

What has this place come to
Where laughter is frowned upon
Or perhaps even forbidden
I would be happier in the dark corner of a bar
Where these everyday zombies come to life
Where judgement is concealed behind predatory eyes
Where everyone else is on display
The watchers become the watched
And you can be whatever you want to be

Get me out of here