They sit

awkwardly together

staring 

at the 

tiny screens,

held lovingly

in their palms.

They don’t 

talk.

Not to each other

it seems.

The

waitress

takes their order

and their 

coffees 

arrive.

I watch.

They sip 

and love

their 

phones.

Eventually,

they pay

and

leave.

Together.

Yet each

holding 

onto that

black 

oblong, fully 

immersed 

in the outside 

world.

They make 

me uncomfortable,

and I continue 

to think

about them,

long after

they have left.

Is there a complex 

backstory 

here?

Of love lost,

of bitterness

and disdain?

Or is it way 

worse:

Complacency

and taking

precious moments

for granted?

You decide.

~Lu