TABLE ONE

You said you’d never leave me by myself
With a kiss and a ring – I thought it was
the truth. So why do I sit here alone?
I ask for a Coke, no ice with lemon
The waitress already knows my order

How did forty years pass by so quickly?
Your smooth skin slipped into wise lines of time
Each doctor visit, glasses got thicker
Nights out turned into nights in by the fire
I swear your pillow still smells like perfume

I look around the diner, my view wide
since there is no one else at my table
A girl in a red dress has your blue eyes
A woman near me, your worn wrinkled hands
A child, your loud squealing laughter

Took me twenty to pick a shirt today
You liked plaid, I liked stripes – so I chose plaid
It’s been two years and I’m still not okay
The kids worry; I assure them I’m fine
Even though I know loneliness does kill

I’m bitter like the vegetables on my
plate – the ones I buy cause you told me to
Wanted to go first; I know I’m selfish
I eat my meal tasting very little
Ask for the check, politely don’t worry

I wonder what they all must think of me
Crotchety, perpetual old bachelor?
Senile senior who mistakes shoestrings for spaghetti?
Incompetent imbecile who can’t cook?
Tired widower who misses you terribly?

By: Elise Renz