The classiest diner
in a town of 75,000–
take your new date
to impress her –
candle-lit outdoor seating
and authentic, charming waiters
with heavy accents
elegance that can only be dubbed
“Italian”
but on a quiet day
he is there
with his modest suit
and proud smile
he talks to the ladies
meeting for wine
on a tuesday
he smiles and tells his story
“Seventeen years old
when I came to America”
(no one asks how long
ago that was…)
“from a little town in the east
of Turkey..
with nothing but mountains
and snow…
nothing to do but make babies!”
he laughs, and goes on,
“I moved to Chicago with 20 dollars
Twenty dollars
in my pocket.
You can imagine how happy I was
when I earned my first $10…
always an Italian restaurant,
and so
it’s all I know..”
he smiles
and that says it all
it’s not italian
or turkish
it’s his
and the rest of the story
is a long hard journey
around his eyes,
down his cheeks,
beside his lips
and left to sleep
in his fantastic smile.
