Free Yourself

warm buttery maple-laden pancakes,

his gaze both inviting and downtrodden,

downtown condos and uptown bungalows

up and down the street, there's no resisting

there's nothing but spare-change in my

pockets, as he slowly reaches around me

frozen, chilled metallic haze around my ear

cut-off from everything, everyone in the

glow of the half-empty diner:

I sit in vinyl and I sit hands pressed against

cold porcelain and scratchy  white napkins:

there both excited to get and want

crispy bacon stained with syrup and burnt

potato chunks and a squashed buttery biscuit