A simple cup of black coffee may be the ultimate symbol of mundanity. Plain and pedestrian — black coffee serves as that quick hit of caffeine before a long day of work or a long night of studying. But in the reflection of the darkness of a simple cup of black coffee, Patti Smith sees a way of life — the life of an artist.

We have been deluded into believing that romance lies solely along linear planes, a one-dimensional existence between characters we are nothing like, and worlds we will never live in— but love does not have to be exactly like it is in the movies. And that’s a good thing.