I Say Meet Me for Coffee

MEET ME FOR COFFEE JESSAMINE O’CONNOR

Not a cup of tea, a pint or just ‘meet me’

because I want to wait awkward at a counter beside you

with the steam spluttering, the espresso machine knocking

and our overdressed elbows almost touching.

I want to sit opposite you at a small table

that can never be small enough, absorbing the heat

of your hidden knees and then eyes when I catch you

watching me lick the froth off my lips.

I want us to be both fiddling with our round white cups,

thumbing the holes that make the handles,

intense with conversation while idling our fingers

around and around those curves.

I want to be alone with you in a clamorous place

where no one will notice what’s not being said,

that’s why I say safely, meet me for coffee,

instead of suggesting something else.