28 Comments
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Sharon Hom's avatar

I love both poems and the reflection — you carry us along to share that delicious solitude, resonating with my own love of solitude.

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26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Thanks so much for reading, Sharon! I'm delighted that the poems spoke to you.

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Petrina's avatar

Awww! Our neighborhood cafe! Perfectly described! I also loved the drowsy geraniums tugged in after their day on the sidewalk. So sweet.

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26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Meet you there for coffee any time, Petrina -- my treat!

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Cindy Angyal's avatar

Both poems. spoke gently to me and really reflected so much about you Elizabeth.

I loved how you explained about being alone by yourself and yet in the company of others leading their own lives.

I completely agree with what Francesca said! Beautifully written Elizabeth!

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26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Thank you, dear Looocinda! <3

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Mary Pierce's avatar

I want to be there.

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26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

You're welcome any time, Mary!

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Simon Brooks's avatar

Hmm. Lovely.

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26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Thank you, Simon!

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Weston Parker's avatar

There are many times when reading the comments is very satisfying because sometimes I don't feel capable of saying what I'm thinking and other people can.

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26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Isn't that one of the best things about community? Thanks for reading, Wes, and for commenting (or finding the right comments to "ditto"!).

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LeeAnn Pickrell's avatar

I love both these poems. I love cafes too, being there with other people yet alone. You capture the whole experience so beautifully.

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Weston Parker's avatar

Ditto!

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26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Thanks so much, LeeAnn!

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Kim's avatar

Like Cheers, and the opposite: Sometimes you want to go where nobody knows your name, and they do not care you came.

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26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Very like that!

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Melanie Bettinelli's avatar

What a lovely visit to your neighborhood coffee shop. Thank you for letting us tag along, Elizabeth. We don't have one where we live and I wish we did. It's so good to have that kind of place to go and not be alone, to go and work or to meet people. When we lived in Salem there were some nice coffee shops, but in general New England doesn't seem to have as much of that coffee shop culture. We have plenty of drive through Dunkins, but not so many places you can go and sit and be.

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26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Oh, I would miss cafe culture if I ever moved away from it! Libraries are another fine "third space," but regrettably short on refreshments. :-) Thanks so much for reading, Melanie.

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Sandy S's avatar

So glad you had this quiet, yet friendly place to write. Funny thing about coffee or even tea, after being raised in a home where pots and pots of coffee were made and drank from sun-up to sun- down, I no longer can drink more than a single cup in the morning, if I want a good nights rest. I am the only one in my family for which this is true. I still love the smell of coffee. sigh It is a small thing to live with. I will survive. :-)

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26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Similar! I drink a big cup of "high test" coffee in the morning, but if I go to the cafe in the afternoon I need to switch to decaf. At that I'm fortunate to be a night-owl, so my system has time to work off the caffeine before I'm ready to sleep!

Thanks so much always for reading, Sandy.

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Francesca's avatar

I'm not sure what moved me more - the poems or the careful reflections at the end. Regardless, "geraniums drowsy after their day / on the sidewalk" is a beaut if ever I've read one!

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26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Thanks for reading, Francesca, and especially for stopping to admire the flowers (as it were!).

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Francesca's avatar

🌺 🪴

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margaret gannon's avatar

I am struck by the gentleness of your writing, it flows with no sign of pressure to complete your thought.

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26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

That's so kind, Margaret -- thank you!

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Sulima Malzin's avatar

"Alone and in company." I can relate. Thank you, Elizabeth, for sharing your coffee and ....

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26thAvenuePoet (Elizabeth)'s avatar

Always happy to share a table with you, Sulima! <3

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