At the Red Colored Pencil Cafe

The cars are rolling past.  A woman has on very tall boots.  A man with a case unzipped heads out the door.  Everyone looks at the dog chained to the post.  And I get a chill from the cold.

Everyone I recognize but no one I know.

Everyone's a stranger when you're all alone.

Cars rolling by, a woman rushes past with a coffee to her lips.  A group of friends laugh. Two boys with their arms around each other, an impossibly tall girl in leather boots, a balding man in an elegant coat, all see the dog chained to the post.

He sniffs the air, his nose moving back and forth, waiting, he knows.  He knows she will be back, and when she is, he will be so happy, his body will shake.  He will wag his tail.  A tall boy and his date give the dog a sad smile.