he walked up slowly
like this was no place special
he just had nowhere in particular
to be
just felt like stopping

he looked a bit nonplussed
when i barely nodded my head
by way of greeting
as subdued and masculine platonic a gesture as it was
recognition is uncool

i had been standing on the sidewalk outside
the window of a coffee shop
waiting for a friend and looking like it

post-everything
so progressive
he leaned on the pole of a street sign
and the light fell on him like it would
on a gangster in a prohibition era film

trying hard to not look like
we were trying hard to look dark
and too cool for words
and every bit the rock stars
we wanted to be

and i turned and looked inside the coffee shop
through the big street window to see
if my friend had slipped by me somehow and was
inside
but i made a casual way of it
and kind of slunk around one hundred and eighty degrees
like the wet asphalt i had been looking at
just bored me to tears and i expected the same from the
other side
andy wasn't inside

i glanced to the side and noticed that my compatriot
in the long leather jacket
with nails painted
concurrently and in a similarly listlessly purturbed manner
was scanning the golden lit warm social scene
inside the coffee shop

we both sneered
like billy idol
in our minds

and almost in tandem we turned back to the street
acting disgusted with all that golden happiness
our eyes fleeing the bright smiles
and caffeinated sociability
to something more becoming of two modern boys

a laugh started inside me
at the coordination of our gestures
he seemed to sense the laugh rising
and silenced me before sound with a cold look
he wondered if i was just another fucker
come to rain on his parade

i calmed myself and supressed the laugh
and i tried to look as indifferent as ever
he turned back to the street indifferent as well
giving me the benefit of the doubt

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