January 4, 2022

let’s eat

And I don’t mean what we do in the car, racing the thoroughfare of our lives,
tossing wrappers in the footwell and getting by on lukewarm watery coffee
in squeaky styrofoam cups. And I don’t mean the splurges on certain anniversaries
or the grand sweep of buffets in casino cities, or fine-weave napkins and a small horde
of forks and the “nice” plates, the ones we’d be least happy breaking, set out
when company comes. As I write this, I admit I’m shoveling my lunch down,
having waited too long to make any good decisions, and in my overstuffed stupor,
I suspect I will still reach into a particular cupboard for a handful of loose somethings
to close the deal. So what I mean is what happens after, heavy-jowled and drowsy
from our meals. What other nourishment we take. Which others of our mouths we feed.