At the Cupcake Cafe

/ roughwighting

Image by GLady from Pixabay https://pixabay.com/photos/cupcake-cake-sweets-sugar-carrot-279523/Two friends meet at a cupcake café

Using sweet smiles to assure each other –

They’re each okay.

But the smiles begin to wobble, the

Conversation wiggles as each reveal

A grief that is separate yet shared.

One woman now a widow, pining for

Her love of half a century, he’s gone

Yet still so alive in her heart.

The other woman is steadfast as she

Cares for a once robust husband whose

Brain is bespeckled with fog.

two woman at a cafe, ChatGPTTwo friends meet at a cupcake café

Using sweet smiles that release into

Expressions more sincere, more real.

Two friends allow each other to shed

A tear, to moan about what once was

While easing each other’s loads.

An hour later, cupcake consumed,

Two friends nod at each other, mirroring

understanding, and depart with fierce hugs.

Image by TheAndrasBarta from Pixabay

Our hearts – full and broken, loved and lonely – are sweetened by the friendships in our lives.

84 thoughts on “At the Cupcake Cafe”

  7. So very touching and real, Pam. Proof how important women’s friendships are. I would be bereft without my girlfriends. We might see each other as regularly as we would like to but when we do cherish it.

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    • The value of friendship is not taught in schools (as far as I know) and really, it should be. We cannot make it in this world without some precious friends who accept us for who we are and stand by us to keep us strong. And of course, we do the same for our friends.

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  17. You bring fresh eyes–and cupcakes!–to friendship as tenuous, yet so terribly important. I’m fortunate to have two groups of girlfriends who meet often enough to make a difference.

    As Robbie says about marriage, “One partner will outlive the other.” Sad and true.

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  18. My beautiful Pam. No matter how many cupcakes or Cantina dinners we share with good friends, there’s laughter and pain within each of us. The beauty is sharing the burden of our stories with caring friends who listen and comfort each other. I relate to your words and wish you were here to share a cupcake so we can talk about your heart. Your story is beautifully written. I will send it to my sister who lost her husband but he’s still ever present in all of our lives. Your friendship is so important to me. Love you so much.

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    • Thank you so much Sandi! Oh those Cantina dinners used to soothe all of our hearts within the raucous laughter and a few tears. The memory of them still feels so real and so wonderful. I’m glad you can share this with your sister. 😘

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  20. You short and sweet post said so much about true friendship, Pam. The pain went with the ones who are gone. The pain left behind is vivid for the survived ones. You remind me of the reporter who interviewed Nacy Reagon and asked if she missed Ronald. She said he left her ten years prior his passing. We see your two friends and the cupcake cafe everywhere. It’s a true blessing to have friends who understood with the eyes, words are so limited.

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    • Ouch, that quote of Nancy Reagan is painful. To live with your loved one while they disappear in front of your eyes, over years. But it’s a reality in the lives of many as the number of those suffering from dementia seems to increase. I still say love is the answer to get through the times of ‘for better or for WORSE.’ And I know without my friends, I’d be a much lonelier and sadder woman.

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    • Oh so true. I think it was easier to make friends when we were younger and in college, then raising a family, thus most of them have been with us a long time. But I have made new friends along the way in the past decade. What’s the song? “Make new friends but keep the old – one is silver and the other gold.”

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  25. So sweet a story, Pam. You can’t buy those kinds of friends and everyone should have one. I’m glad you do. I’ve moved too much and lost too many. That’s why I come here. I’d have a cupcake with you anytime.

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    • Come on by! What flavor – chocolate, vanilla, strawberry? I always put sprinkles on top too. ❤ But seriously, yes, we have made such great friends/connections here in our blogosphere. It’s rather miraculous.

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  26. Pam, this was a beautifully written and poignant piece about something everyone faces: loss. Whether it’s physical or emotional, whether a loved one passes on or is lost to us despite being physically present, it is the most painful thing a person can experience.

    And a good friend, or several (and family members can make wonderful friends, too), can make all the difference between a life that becomes unbearable and a life that is filled with support and reasons to find joy and peace. And cupcakes.

    xo

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    • THANK YOU, Amy. Yes, family members can be friends as well as family and thank goodness for that. I know I wouldn’t be the same without my daughter and me talking or texting almost every day. Loss is a given, love is a treasure, connecting with others is a lifesaver. So glad we connected all those years ago!

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  30. Pam, I’m so with the two friends, joining in the fierce hug, sharing the togetherness of heartache. This is such a tender piece that touches me to the core; in friendship finding the space to open up about the toughest parts of our lives. Sending much love xx ❤️

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  31. So beautifully written! My husband and I went to dinner on Valentine’s Day and we had the good fortune of meeting two wonderful ladies. The owner asked us if we would like to sit with these two ladies while we waited for a table. They graciously asked us to join them as they were only having a drink and going to another restaurant for dinner. They explained their friendship and how they met. Both of their husbands had terminal illnesses and someone thought they would be a good support for each other. They exchanged phone numbers and soon the foursome were all going out to dinner for special occasions. Over a period of five years, both husbands passed. These lovely ladies decided to keep up the tradition. Every Valentine’s Day, birthday celebrations, whatever, they dress up and go to dinner! It really made my night to meet these two fabulous women.

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    • Oh, Linda, your story gave me goosebumps (in good ways). What a wonderful way for the two couples to be together and share, and then for the two wives to keep up the tradition. I have no doubt they mean a lot to each other and have helped their sorrow be mixed with joy. THANK you for sharing. ❤

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  32. Linda’s story is a lovely one, isn’t it? As we age, and friends around us are ill or facing challenges, it’s so important to have someone to share the load. I feel blessed to have caring friends around me. Your poem is very beautiful, Pam xx

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  34. What a beautiful poem, Pam. I don’t know what I would have done without my friends these last four months. Thank you. I will share your writing with my special friends.

    Gerlinde @ Sunnycovechef

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  35. This is so real and true, and made me truly miss a dear friend who passed a decade ago, the friend with whom you could share absolutely anything, and it would be welcomed and hugged, and the same in return. Friendship is priceless. 🥰

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  37. This surely resonates for me! Whether a loved one has crossed over, or has gone into the mysterious, sad and so difficult dementia or Alzheimer’s world, the loss is so “heart” to bear. Thanks, dear Pam.

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Always a pleasure to read your thoughts.