Cafe on the Corner

Strawberry milkshakes

Red checked tablecloth

Ashtrays

Condensation abseiling

Down the big window

Creaky chairs

Small tables

Checked Lino on the floor

The smell of fried bacon

The sight of runny eggs

The hissing from the pan

The steam from the tea urn

Cakes on display

In a glass cabinet

Next to the till

I always loved the ping

As the drawer flew open

Cigarette smoke

Made me cough

I saw a couple kiss

I blushed

You could hear the toilet flush

The view from the window

Was the bus station

I used to guess

Who was going where

Old woman with arched back

Dragging a small trolley

Always got the Number nine

The café clock always showed

The wrong time

I watched the woman behind the counter

Get her coat

She was my mother

The café closed years ago

And my mother left this earth

Sometimes looking back

Gives your future some worth

When winter leaves you cold

@JMcN 2018