Monday, April 14, 2014

poem of the day 04.14.14


saturday afternoon at the health food restaurant

and it’s the first decent saturday afternoon in months
so everyone is out
only there are no leaves on the trees yet
and the sun is blinding
so everyone is inside somewhere else to escape the light
this health food restaurant is packed
with muscleheads from the gym across the street
i’m standing behind some blonde
with a baby carriage the size of a small tank
her kid isn’t even in the thing
she’s running around the cramped space of the restaurant
screaming for her calypso smoothie
whatever in the hell that is
it’s her second one too
the little brat dropped the first
and it’s still sitting in a pink puddle on the floor
because no one has the time to clean it
the kid is stopping the waitress from getting salads and protein shakes
to the bodybuilders
the massive baby carriage isn’t helping the matter
but the blonde is too busy texting to notice her kid or the carriage
the muscleheads are too busy flexing their muscles
to see that they aren’t getting their lunch
me?
i should’ve gone food shopping at lloyd’s met
instead of coming in this damned place
but the food here is pretty good
nearly everything on the menu
has a picture of a little heart next to it
just to let me know that i’m treating the body well
i figure a good meal will counterbalance
the whiskey and wine at home
after all, i’m forty now
and i need to start taking care of myself
but coming into this place was a mistake
the first of many that i’ll probably make today
the girls that work here look so put upon
they are sweating and taking too many orders
the sexy one with the tattoo on the back of her neck
keeps looking at me because i’m the only one
standing there not texting or flexing my muscles
or yelling and crying for something that looks like vomit
she thinks my complacency at doing nothing
means that i’m being impatient
but i just don’t have anywhere else to go
on this fine saturday afternoon
the best we’ve seen in months
she keeps telling me that my order is coming
although i haven’t asked her for it once
when she finally hands me the food
she does it with a dramatic gesture just to let me know
how hard this life is
she tells me to enjoy the nice weather outside
but i can tell that she doesn’t mean it
and that’s all right with me.

                                              

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