waiting at an airport
for a friend’s arrival
I lean over a postcard
at a café table
and write ‘Happy birthday’

the taste of the stamp
the pressure of my thumb
on fixing a small coloured rectangle
these are more vivid
than this morning’s coffee

the moment is a sphere
wholly complete
while an overcoated man
at the next table
spreads butter on toast
the smell as rich and sweet
as machine oil

* Joanna M. Weston has had poetry published for 25 years, including the book A Summer Father (2006, Frontenac House, Calgary. ISBN: 1-89718105-1, $15.95)