first date

they've lost themselves in a
no-commitment
it's-just-coffee
i-might-have-another-appointment
first date

their lattes sit, untouched,
as smiles and laughter
overtake their faces

after two hours of people
coming and going
all around them
he looks up and
comments on the time

now, suddenly late
to a genuine appointment,
she drags him out onto the sidewalk
so they can squeeze every moment
out of this first encounter
knowing there will be a second

the couple who take their table
still gaze tenderly at one another
their comfortable silence carrying
fifty-two years
of first dates