Coffee w/ Rimbaud

I want a coffee
and to browse in bookstores.
Sliding old books from shelves,
considering their past lives.
Lost for hours in those aisles:
aimless wandering.
An afternoon at Dawntreader, King,
West Side Books.
To take my new acquisition,
to wallow in grease
and filth
with eggs, potatoes,
that cup of coffee.
Alone, studying
the faces of strangers who
come and go,
eating their pancakes
or burgers
or chili dogs.
A bottomless cup of coffee
with Rimbaud
or Baudelaire,
Borges or Kipling.
That is my dream.
That is my
dream.

Andre F. Peltier (he/him) is a Lecturer III at Eastern Michigan University where he teaches literature and writing. He lives in Ypsilanti, MI, with his wife and children. His poetry has recently appeared in various publications. In his free time, he obsesses over soccer and comic books. @aandrefpeltier