Fonder Moments

by Rachel

Unknown to you
That man with the hair as long as yours
The briefcase
The suit and tie
The subtle remnants of lead on his hands
And the musky aftershave 
Sitting at the table to your right
Has a life
A real life
A purpose
A family
He's in love
He's felt sorrow and joy
He's broken a bone
Somewhere there's a box of dusty old video tapes 
With footage of his childhood
Hundreds of people have heard his name
He draws pictures of his favorite things
Flowers and animals
Lips and buildings
His hair is long
Because it reminds him of his surfer days
He wears the suit and the tie
To support the two children he adopted from his late brother
And he is at this coffee shop
Because unknown to you
He's planning to stay up a while
With the shotgun in his hand
Thinking of his dearest
Of all his experiences 
Of all the things he won't live to see
And the haunting realization
He's better off as a memory.