78

Tokens in a slot machine
the songs began
'Can you recollect
how we first met'
crooning
plaintively yearning
faded faces
'We thought we were free
disdainful of authority.'

One day
at a cafe on a corner
'That summer I saw you
long ago
barefoot in the moonlight'
impatient for love
alone amidst transients
a ceiling fan
cigarettes, coffee stains
damp armpits
cracked porcelain
a decaying menu in between
two pairs of eyes.