New York
System
Hot Weiners
in hot-pink and blue neon beckons
on a hot Providence evening
throbbing with Latino music
as my daughter and I step into
this shining diner she discovered
after getting an eagle tattooed on her thigh.
“Six all the way,” I tell the beaming counterman:
slather the wieners with ground beef,
minced onions, mustard and celery seed,
this fine Rhode Island concoction
they call New York System wieners.
At a red vinyl booth
Rebecca and I eat wieners and fries,
drink sweet cold coffee milk and laugh
while banter buzzes from the counter.
We’re young and old, black, brown and white,
united by our love for spicy wieners.
If only they had blueberry pie
in that hinged glass case…
Back in my car,
Rebecca posts on Facebook
a montage of our tidy meals,
me devouring a wiener,
and the sign’s green neon burning
E
A
T
against the timeless twilight’s silver clouds.
- © Henry Stimpson 2021
Henry Stimpson’s poems, articles and essays have appeared in Poet Lore, Cream City Review, Lighten Up Online, Rolling Stone, Muddy River Poetry Review, Mad River Review, Aethlon, The MacGuffin, The Aurorean, Common Ground Review, Vol1Brooklyn, Poets & Writers, The Boston Globe and other publications. He’s been a public relations consultant and writer for decades. Once upon a time, he was a reference librarian, a prison librarian and a cabdriver. He lives in Massachusetts.
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