Millennial

She stands in the coffeehouse
Waiting for an order, this time
Without her dog, whom she calls
” Coco,” she told me she scolded
The dog earlier, for hiding, when she
Was trying to take it out for a walk
And the grey highlights make her
Womanly and distinguished and
One time before, we talked about a
Coldplay song as it played, and I imagined
We were both back in 1998, me, working
Security, at the Portland Jetport, she, a college
Student, putting on her boots, ready to
Dive into the nightlife, and time gives way
Way to dreams and cities and hundreds of
Books have passed, and she keeps appearing
Her stance, full of swag, her body could
Become lost in its own dance
As she navigates work and life
Maybe her dog will become a meme
Maybe she’ll swipe right, and I look at
Her and take her all in, as I always do
Beaches, and Saturdays and sunsets
Her body, moving like a poem. She still
Somehow gives me hope; you can grow up
But you don’t have to grow old.

Erren Geraud Kelly has been writing poetry for 35 years. He had been published in previous issues of Trailer Park Quarterly. He has also been published in various print and online publications in the United States, Canada and Worldwide. Kelly  received his B.A. in English-Creative Writing from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Erren lives in Lynn, Massachusetts.