Finding some minutes to spare, a stop in a
coffee shop occurs: the first in how long? Unknown. A sense of disjointedly
familiar, like a friend you reconnect with and you don't know much of their
recent history. You weren't with them when they bought those shoes, for
example, but you would still pick that pair off any shelf as representative of
their style.
A seat is taken by a long window. The glass is portioned out in thick-rimmed
plastic rectangles. Light shades overhead, circles within circles, echo the
placing of cup on saucer. Retro modernity.
A man is asking the manager how to access the wi-fi connection, is answered
something about a password. There's a dash of urgency on this request. Whatever
he has been typing must be ready to be sent somewhere. Staff talk, over by the
till, say something about 2am; no, yes, 2am, it was.
There's no door at this coffeehouse, it's designed to be an integral part of a
revamped supermarket. On the other side of the glass shopping trolleys line up
and cars arrive with a sense of reluctance. Sugar glossed pastries, jewelled in
cherries, wink at passers by from the counter. They sigh, remembering their
diets.
Meanwhile, one espresso sinks, a few notes are scribbled.
Years have flowed, a river of coffee… from jars of instant, from freezer-kept
fresh in foil packs, from cafés, hobs, beach fires, the Rayburn hotplate; from anything on
reasonable offer, from the Trung Nguyen tin.
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"Ever-newer waters flow on those who step into the same rivers."
Heroclitus 535 BCE- 475 BCE
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Comments
You weren't with them when they bought those shoes, for example, but you would still pick that pair off any shelf as representative of their style.
There's something so genius and profound about it. I think I know why I responded to it like a source of light--because it's taking something ordinary and harvesting it for something pure and transcendent: the hallmarks of friendship.
I have never heard/read that quote by Heroclitus and am now giving it due thought ...
*sighs happily. This is exactly what I aim for!
Heroclitus is a bit vague, but that gives plenty of room for thought. To me it speaks of flux and renewal and the dichotomy of things being as they are or as one perceives them. Although sometimes it just makes me want to go swimming! :-)