"_____________________________________"

That sudden silence
between
conversations.
An abrupt minute
between
those hours.
It's when there's nothing much to exchange.
A void from nowhere breaks in,
And you can almost hear
The stirring spoon,
The drone of the air conditioning,
The soft clicks on the keypad
While someone messages at the table behind;
And the clash of a plate falling flat on its face
At a distance not very faraway.
You only then notice:
Your nails need to be cut,
The spelling error in Today's Special
On the Cafe's tent card;
The ceiling turns into a masterpiece,
Which you gaze at and admire.
You want to talk some more
Yet the topic feels tired,
Somehow,
And it wants to retire.
This silence is like
That last piece of choco chip cookie
Left on a white ceramic plate
In between.
For once, you want to bite in and indulge
Yet you fear reaching, for it
might just finish that instant.
While on the other side,
You don’t want to leave it untouched
It just tempts you
And yearns for your attention.
You clear your throat,
Utter a word.
Coincidentally,
there’s a word from the one before you;
Clashing with yours at the same time.
A demure exchange of smiles.
There’s silence once again.
Now will you reach for the cookie?
Or will you keep on?