Saturday morning
saturday morning
by jim benz
breakfast at Elsie’s –
a whole neighborhood
in three shrinking rooms
***
drawn on the face
of our elderly waitress
an imprint of scowls
***
long wait for coffee –
could this cup
be any more empty?
***
tasty menu –
beneath the side order toast
jelly stains
***
salt, pepper
a bottle of ketchup
what more could you want?
***
even in the kitchen
people go about their lives
unnoticed
***
your eggs
not so runny
as my eggs
***
reading the paper
words spill from the newsprint
to my tongue
***
O busboy
didn’t you realize
I would finish my toast?
This is great in the sense that it captures, moment by moment, things we have all gone through at the weekend diner. I can envision these places in Lansing: The Fleetwood, Golden Harvest, Old Town Diner. I especially like the first stanza. The flow here reminds me of those mornings when the coffee has not yet kicked in. Good job, Jim!