Coffee Brake

The photographic recall of an expert,
the zoologist able to name tax, species, genus
an art historian, masters, periods, schools,
a mathematician multiple sequences of Pi.

Shirley, tea lady in excelsis
assigned every staff member an individual cup
 earthy – clay spun, by local artists
and remembered all preferences : coffee + (milk – sugar).
Tea time queue
cups laid out like a street vendor
cheerful greeting – pour and mix – she never forgot. “Next please.”

A joint project with a university down south –
brains and muscle –
they have the ideas, we do the field work.
Pre Internet,
no Skype or video conferring
long-distance phone fiscally frightening.
I will take the work to them – and report findings.
five days away,
part golden opportunity – dead man walking – out of sight, out of mind
and
part gold watch – seven days per diem and travel.

On return
at morning break my cup is missing,
Shirley briefly, uncharacteristically blank
flurried awkwardness
a computer about to crash
before screen saver of inattention takes the rap                                        
“silly me,” she rushed
“I thought …..
…. …. I thought ….. you were ….. away.”