Crowds of shoppers willingly spill out
Onto a pavement that’s scorched and sticky,
Summertime outfits showing off skin
Slick with sweat, reflective eyes
As polarised sunglasses stare back at me.
The queue snakes in to baristas
Looking hassled, pen thrust in a ponytail
As she takes our order without looking up,
The coffee machine hisses in protest,
Standing as one with the tired employee,
‘Surely it’s too hot for lattes today?’
And so we order creamy drinks, filled to the brim
With ice cubes clunking against plastic cups,
We knock back iced teas and nibble at muffins,
Dreaming of drinking cocktails instead,
Away from this shopping mall, on a beach somewhere
Under a parasol and listening to waves
Crashing in rhythmically, onto the sand.
juliadeniro
Great poem. I love iced coffee drinks.
patientandkindlove
They do a mint choc chip frappe which I think is officially heaven in a plastic cup…
Margot Kinberg
I love the mental imagery here, and you’re so right about the poor baristas, Rachel. They’re overwhelmed on a hot afternoon, with people buying iced lattes and so on. And then there are the people who take advantage of the aircon and the free WiFi to hang out there. Coffee shops can be very hot-weather friendly, although you wouldn’t think so.
patientandkindlove
I must admit, the air con was really pleasant but the poor girls behind the counter looked absolutely frazzled!