Tuesday, April 7, 2015

A Lunch Alone

"Sadder than destitution, sadder than a beggar is the man who eats alone in public..."
Photo : Guian Bolisay / Flickr

I take my lunch alone, but all around,
Sighs and statements, grunts and grumbles fill
The room with life and lives and loves and sound
The way that raucous, joyous humans will.
The waitress takes my order, walks away,
And silently I catalogue the room:
A mother and young daughter have a day;
Some teenage boys conspire, plotting doom;
Four siblings argue their sick father's fate;
And lovers clasp each other's hands and smile.
But not one comprehends what they create
By sharing daily love. And all the while —

Across from me there stands a chair,
Conspicuous with no one there.