the wait staff sets checkered tables with salt
pepper, ketchup, napkins, & a loaf of white bread
what we called Wonder Bread when I was a child
the loaves are sealed in plastic, & we never
open them, never eat a slice, but work crews do
as do ginormous fat men, we wonder aloud
whether open loaves are replaced between diners
why eat bread when once you pay for your meal
you can go back for more as many times as you want
brisket, ribs, chicken, red rice, butter beans, fried okra
banana pudding, sheet cake . . . grease, salt, & sugar
I try not to go more than once a quarter, friends go
once a week, do work crews go every day?
afterward I feel queasy, maybe a slice of white bread
would settle my stomach, when I pass the Dukes sign
I turn my eyes to the other side of Folly Road
Premier Medical, Charleston Fire Department
Station 13 . . . places I could stop & beg for relief