small! town! what would you like!!!!
- small! town! what would you like!!!!
everything! on the menu!!thank! you!yes!i saybring me!! plateby platebecause i’m american!!!!i’m thinking! of the diner!in my hometown!!everyone! has a dinerhometown!a clatter! of white!!!heavy!! plates:faces to pile!with egg! ooze!!toast trianglessquare packets! of grape jelly!!see it all piled!!around mea booth seat!tear! in the red! cushionthe window! with guestspeering in!i’m not!! eating! any of itjust need to watch!index! finger! pointing!count every single!egg to make sure! noneare missing!yellow chicken! souls!scrapple!bacon!ham!!don’t eat meat!!!just watch! asking [End Page 1]
each to turn! backinto an animal!!pigs!!! standing on the table!!ordering more!!! coffeebottomless! coffee!pouring from! a cup!in the ceiling!need take-out boxes!!!take everything home!!but not! before gazing!!glisten! hash!brown!crackle spam!!pucker! pancake!!melt!-ing!! butter!!!eye eating!praising!just! me!all just me!fork! in! mouth!all mine!!! [End Page 2]
Robin Gow is a professor and MFA student of creative writing at Adelphi University. They currently serve as the editor-at-large for Village of Crickets and the social media coordinator for Oyster River Pages. Their first full-length collection, Our Lady of Perpetual Degeneracy, is forthcoming.
