
July 28
as i sit on the patio of the suburban coffee shop i listen
my feet rest in leather shoes on the cobblestone ground that is actually recently manufactured pavers
the breeze is cool for a change
a slight reprise from the humid July midwestern heat
i listen to a table of girls, probably not much younger than me
i don’t hear them because i am choosing to listen to music instead
it makes my life feel like a movie
they have books on the table and their iced coffee cups are empty which tells me they have been here awhile
the pages flap in the wind
they are barefoot
they aren't much younger than me but it feels like they are
i want to tell them that their conversations probably don’t matter
because that is what i was told
young people’s conversations don’t matter
i also want to tell them that what they are doing is important
it will shape who they are for years to come

