Lately I've been going to Starbucks on Fri. morning to drink their strongest coffee-of-the-day and to read, and if I feel like it, to write. This is a poem based on what I see there in the space between the reading and the writing.
the town of starbucks
-morgan young 1.23.04
a whacky patchwork
java commonality
respite in the day's hubub
teens, singles
young mommies
parents avoiding their teenagers
empty nesters & blue-hairs
collegers; lots of books & little money
laptoppers
grandparents in a Volvo
corporatrey meetings
performance reviews
lots of cream & sugar
skim decaf
black double shot
readers
game-players
introspection
gossip
ratty sweats
power suits
whitey
minority
cultural coffee mecca
Commentary:
When I see the corporate meetings & especially a performance review, I thought, "Wow, how I would hate to screw up my notion of Starbucks by associating it with my boss or profit & loss statements!" It makes me think that we Americans can't get anything right--- to me places like coffee shops are bistros....a place to slow down...to chill...breathe. NOT WORK! If I worked at Delphi I'm thinking the last place I'd want to go with my type-A boss would be Starbucks. Let's just get it out of the way righ here in the cube, eh?
I don't see the diversity I see in this one small building in Kokomo any place else in our community--it's really amazing when you think about it. It made me wonder if we shouldn't try Middle East peace talks in a Stabucks on the Medditeranean...
