The other day I was w
orking at the Canyon Grill. A man came in. He was wearing a neon shirt that said “MAINTENANCE” on the front and the back. His name was John. I was very kind to him, friendly and conversational. I try talk with all our customers, if that is something that they want, and I’m not too busy. So we started talking about how things were going. I said I was tired and had stayed up late. He said “Partying?” I said, “No, actually, I was writing.” That was how he ended up asking for my poetry…
He wanted me to read something out loud. I find that a little difficult, on the spot like that. So instead I opened up the title poem on my phone and gave it to him to read. Then I hid in the back of the kitchen for an inordinate amount of time. In fact, I think he finished his burger and probably wasn’t sure what to do with my phone, since I refused to come back. Eventually he shouted to the back,
“Thank you for the burger!
And I liked your poem…
It was nice to read.
It made me want to
go for a walk in the forest,
without shoes on.”
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