Apple Pie Á La Mode
March 29 2023
The old friends
are at their customary table
at the local café
eating what they always order.
They're telling the same lame jokes,
listening to stories they’ve heard before,
and gently razzing each other
amidst the chummy hubbub
of the late lunch crowd.
And talking politics, of course;
as if their strongly held opinions
could actually change something.
“Old”,
as in long-standing
and of a certain age.
The friendship of men
unfolds this way;
not maudlin, sentimental
or whispered confessions,
no break-ups, resentments
or catty asides;
just pointless conversation
and good-natured digs,
the odd expletive
dropped needlessly in.
Sports is good,
pet-peeves better.
Like the younger generation
that damned internet.
But no matter what gets said,
it's the getting together
that counts.
The waitress knows them by name,
and they tip her well
despite their ingrained frugality.
Waitress, not server,
tip, not gratuity.
Because why change
a perfectly good word?
They all order dessert.
Apple pie à la mode.
And, as usual
— at least for little kids and old geezers —
free ice cream.
Vanilla?, she asks
with a mischievous smile,
as if it's ever anything else.
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