We are the sensitive ones. The intelligent and depressed. The deep and thoughtful. The troubled and searching. We love words. It takes time to process the words, because of the nuances and semantics and complexities that many don’t comprehend. So if a person needs time to chew on a sentence it’s because they care.
Diner Dialogue
My favorite diner spins neon off chrome
Open twenty four seven
with a healthy batch of waitresses to flirt with.
My favorite friend spins words off the tongue
and already knows what he wants.
Relaxing in a booth; cocky,
we’ve memorized the menu: chef salad, clam strips, omelets, pancakes, milk shakes, fries…
and slide into a pattern of
“This is where I am.”
And “How was your day?”
And “I need time to breathe.”
The server asks “What can I get you?”
And you reply “What’s your name darlin’?”
“Erin, she says”
“O.K. Erin, I’ll have the BLT club and water no ice”
And we both see no ring on that finger.
My friend’s eyes light up when he realizes we’re on the same plate.
Then you say “Things move too fast. “
“How can I ask people to Please Slow Down?”
I am hungry for life.
I am hungry for love.
“The lives we are living are cracked yet repairable.”
We come to this conclusion:
Words are our thing.
Spoken and written and heard.
And you always get decaf.
And we almost never get dessert.
And I always feel better afterward.
Here’s what you say:
“I care about what you are expressing, and I need time to digest it.
So talk slowly and strive to focus.”
Living in the moment at the diner-
This is what we see:
The Menus are molten
The salt and pepper is poison
The china plates are passionate
The coffee mugs clink with the spoons
The tips are tipsy
Booths are beholden
Cakes are in the case
The heavy tray balanced on one hand
The check is a conduit
The walk to the car is uncommon
Goodbyes, like dry toast, can be hard.
Goodbyes, like marmalade, can be sweet.
