love, the table

"I have been waiting for you 
to put down that bag(gage)
and breathe
I have been waiting for you 
to arrive
fully
and to sit in the weight and weightlessness of your own being
I have been waiting for you
to sit
to have a seat
that is all yours
to take up your own space
and know that for a moment
it is not on your own strength that you must defend
I have been waiting for you
to show up
and slow down"
love, the table. 

it is good and right
to show up to the table
drink in hand
carefree without a lid
for in this space you get to stay a while
plant yourself facing the light
and breathe in the rhythms of life outside that whistle past
you are here
the world keeps breathing.
take in your own breath
and sit.

beside you sit strangers
nearby, potential friends
around you, family members
fellow humans
drawn here to the seat and table
to the quiet
to the solace
to the light

you have each come to this space for the same
and for different reasons
drawn into your third space 
for the sake of a place
to sit 
and be
undisturbed

here you will be known [only] by name
but unless you desire
there is no entrance fee or demand for your story
after all, 
depending on the day, 
who can bear the weight of a story? 
this is a place where you may leave it behind
the baristas will not ask for an ID 
nor will an explanation be demanded
about why you like your drink a certain way
here, you can simply arrive
and claim whatever moniker best fits you in this moment

come to the table 
that allows room for 
stories to change
relationships to build
silence to emerge
your own voice to be heard. 

come to the table
and sit 
with
and within
yourself. 

for I know you have been waiting for you, too. 

welcome.