poem of the day 05.28.09

still catching up on some much needed sleep, so here's another old one:

a couple of regulars

unemployed
in the picturesque town of my
wife’s birth,
i drive around the lakes
because i have nowhere else to go,
and because the new york city papers
have no jobs for me.
then i stop in a strip mall along route 17,
thirsty for wine, or whatever else
will put a quick end to this day,
when i see an obese man in a toyota
just outside the mcdonald’s parking lot.
he is stuffing his face with a big mac and fries,
and he has another of each resting on his lap.
the motor is running on his car, and his windows are up
as if there is no time or discretion
for this level of gluttony.
we make eye contact.
then i notice the beads of sweat falling
from his face as he chews.
i offer a small smile,
but the man frowns and turns away from me.
he stops chewing and stops eating, until i pass.
i look back, and he is watching me cross
the parking lot,
where i go into the only open liquor store in this town
that doesn’t already
know me by sight
before 10 a.m.

07.12.07