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Tom Blessing

Dinner Alone


dinner tonight was hamburger

bought ground round up at

louie's supervalue 2

broke an egg, garlic power,

italian bread crumbs and

some cajun seasoning into

the redness  of the meat

kneaded the mix over and over

and made 6 patties - dinner

for tonight and the weekend

beats eating alone at the

evergreen or michigan house

you have your interview

in cadillac  on saturday

i will haul  college rooms

from ho-town to our garage

in calumet - stack  2x4's,

boxes, dorm fridges,  and

microwaves around the

walls and sort out fishing

supplies and yard tools

i wish you luck , the best

soon we'll be together

with the kids in detroit

a family for a few weeks

before the girls fly off

to germany and arkansas

i'll eat the burgers cold

with chips, salad

from a bag and a beer

and i'll think of you

of your smooth skin

your smile,  the way

you smell, the way

you move, and the way

you stand still, yes,

i'll eat my cold burgers

and think of you

a little happiness

will be nice



She Watches


him as he moves through the aisles

lifting up a grapefruit

reading the label on a can of beans

just checking the sodium level

his fingers are crooked

arthritis has curled them

but she sees them as smooth

strong, gripping a bat as he

waited for a pitch

his green uniform tight

across his chest and thighs

she sees them curled around

her fingers as he held her hands

at the roadside park along

lake superior when he asked

her to marry him

and she remembers how

he could still get an erection then

damn, she thinks

those were the good old days



Sometimes


i walk up to miller's after dark

something about bowling alley

sounds and smells that i miss

it sure as hell ain't throwing

the ball down the alley, nope

probably something from when

i was a kid, going up to the

alley with my dad and while

he bowled i'd play pinball

drink cokes and breath in

the beery, smoke filled air

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