He dismounts his three wheeler
with the swaying gait of a
walker unbalanced; one good
hand and a clenched jaw,
his clamshell hat sways
back and forth, like a
metronome in molasses.
He orders espresso (one shot,
no two, skim milk, no one).
She adds soft punctuation to
his grizzled soliloquy then
guides his arm to her table with
coffee and a napkin of patience.
Across the table his prattles roll,
in circles before her quiet
resignation, coming to rest
before the stranger.
"How have you been," as if
dialogue will power his
three wheeler home. She
returns to her unread book and
napkin spongy with his talk
that waits to be heard.
“Three Wheeler” was printed in Crossroads, No. 8 of Inwood Indiana. Pick up the paperback from Prolific Press; the stories and poems published online are free to read here.
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