Every city has a place

all-nighter, regulars direct

from central casting

occupying the same seat in

Seattle as in Newark,

two cities never visited

but I have been there

 

you want your

hash browns crispy

coffee potent, in

heavy mugs (no cups)

bacon crunchy

sausage cylindrical

eggs runny,

over easy

over hard

scrambled

sunny-side-up

yoke-mopping toast

lightly burned,

isosceles cut

saves plate space

 

Hopper’s Night Hawks

still resonates

New York or Omaha

Denver and New Orleans

 

ambiance is in the heart

of the beholder

flirting with the

counter staff obligatory

anchor your tip to

the counter with your saucer

leave your greasy fingerprints

on the receipt as a souvenir

when you leave

 

just like home

even when you aren’t

 

Mark L. Lucker

© 2016