Cafe at park and 22nd

The corner of Park and 22nd sits the cafe where we met.

Memories as strong as the coffee it brews

You wore a daisy yellow dress, with hair of black velvet.

lightly kissing your cheeks as you sat in concentration

My first attempt to get your attention fell flat as the paper on which you wrote

To leave without your name would be to turn your back on fate.

I approached with trembling hands and heat-filled cheeks.

What came out of my mouth has since been lodged somewhere in my subconscious.

I was met with green eyes and cheeks reaching as high as the Himalayas.

A smile, I imagined I would see for all of my days.

We talked about how you loved to write poetry and how I worked a boring 9-5

We had nothing in common other than the fact that we both fell in love in an instant.

something unspoken yet so familiar lingered in the air while we both enhaled each other in

Life was intoxicating, full of mystery and exploration.

When dealing with fireworks, proceed with caution, for they often end in explosions.

Little things became big when examined under a microscope.

communication was no longer a means of self-exploration, but rather a way of survival

When you truly love someone, you have to be prepared to let them go.

People are brought into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.

Unfortunately, it's out of our control which one it is

It starts with the oxygen in the room becoming thick, making it hard to take a deep inhale

Then life starts to lose its color and becomes more muted; the trees and skies all become less vibrant.

The life you created together doesn't cease to exist the moment it ends.

it lingers in the spaces you once shared, the conversations and stories told,

memories are like portals, a smell, a sound, a thought can teleport you to a specific space in time

The coffee shop on the corner of Park and 22nd is one of them.

The thought of just passing by is like opening an old wound that has still not healed.

What if to heal, I have to be willing to bleed

Maybe I haven't been trying to heal, but rather trying to numb.

But to go through life numb is to live in black and white.

I want a life of color, the vibrant and the muted, because they are both beautiful.

I am across the street from that cafe, and I can see an empty chair.

Today I may bleed, but eventually I will heal.