a stop at STARBUCKS

this American crossroads

on a cold winter night..

 parallel people observed

their laptops and smartphones

 foci of isolated attention

connecting to elsewhere..

no central cheer

as might be conjured

in older places with

a warm central stove..

coffee art on the wall

seemed stagnant ignored..

youthful waiters serve up

Gold Coast Joe

Blonde Roast

to customers soon to

sit down and withdraw..

headlines in the NYT rack

reports political struggles

parallels of scale..

a barrenness..

these are parallel times...