Thursday 31 October 2013

On the Menu


Overheard: Everything bagel! Cup of ice!

Where it took me: I’m always amused by the things people order, even more so when I realize that some orders sound like personality traits. Since I’m a writer, I get to make things up anyway, so even if I’m guessing at those traits, that’s part of my job. And it’s Hallowe’en, a good day for considering the costumes in which we present ourselves to the world.

The poem

On the Menu

If we could order up people
like we order coffee:

Tall decaf. Blueberry scone.
Tall, not too excitable.

Blueberry; can be both wild and cultivated.
Scone; has some history. Sweet, but not cloying.

Everything bagel.
Overeager. Wants it all.

Bottled frapuccino and a pumpkin muffin.
Doesn’t care to wait. Gourd-shaped.

Grande caramel macchiato.
Open to possibility.  Pushes boundaries.

Tall banana latte.
Blonde. Unconventional.

Iced venti latte.
Cold, direct. Needs a lot of coffee.

Cup of ice.
Sexually frustrated.

Viennese coffee.
European, arty, distinguished.

In here, people don’t look like their dogs.
They resemble their drink orders.

2 comments:

  1. Susie! I found your poetry project through Stacey's fabulous blog post today! LOVE your poetry and this incredible idea. This particular one made me laugh out loud! You are fabulous and congrats on your book!

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  2. Great to hear from you Jaime; and thank you for the compliments! I'm so glad my work resonates with you. Keep reading... and sign up and share, of course!

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