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Morning

Morning

and she’s

at the table

with her notepad

and her pen

and she’s asking,

“How would you like your eggs?”

and then she goes

through the spiel  

and I say what I always say

and she goes away

with her notepad

and her pen

and her spiel

and I take a break for her

and change the oil

from black to beige

and wonder what

his story is

the guy a booth over

eating his way through

“all-you-can-eat-pancakes”

and he doesn’t

really want ‘em

but he eats ‘em

as if he’s gotta make up

for that person

the one who stood him up

the one he’s been waiting for

the one who never turned up

and they take away his sticky plate

and bring him a fresh stack

and he darts his eye around the room

and we pretend not to notice

and the couple to the left

haven’t spoken

save their order

like they said

all there was to say

when they were twenty

and seventy

just wants a waffle

with a side of bacon

and a can of oil

and somebody just left a tip

jangle of change

and there’s a line waiting

to go out

and a line waiting

to go in

TL

Published inTamiko Lowery