Alone

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Why I Dine Alone at Burger King

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Why I Dine Alone at Burger King

I’d like a single cheeseburger with pickles on the side,
cheese but no tomato—a fruit I can’t abide.
Be sure there is no pink to see. I like my burgers brown.
You can also skip the cardboard hat. I do not need a crown.

Grilled onions on the cheeseburger and easy on the goo.
Give me a diet Coke with that. I’d like some French fries, too.
I sit down at a booth to wait, my number on the table,
but if I could, I’d supervise—that is, if I were able.

My sandwich comes. I have a bite. I see no pink or red.
I start to take a drink of Coke but have a fry instead.
It’s hot and oh so crispy. Redolent of grease.
I feel a surge of appetite. My hunger pangs increase.

I alternate the bites I take between the fries and meat.
As regular as clockwork. I do not miss a beat.
For when it comes to fast food, I do not equivocate.
My ratio of fries-to-burger I must calibrate.

I plan it down to the last fry. I don’t allow for glitches,
and woe to folks who borrow one. I do not abide snitches.
If you want a French fry, please buy some of your own.
I have plans for all of mine. I am not sharing-prone.

With one more bite of burger and only two more fries,
the ratio is one-to-two. I plan to synchronize.
I have it all planned out, my friend, so if you’re chancing by,
keep your fingers off my French fries, or somebody’s gonna die!

For: https://alwayswrite.blog/2023/08/02/wq-31-alone/
And HERE is a link to other poems and quotes on this subject.

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About lifelessons

My blog, which started out to be about overcoming grief, quickly grew into a blog about celebrating life. I post daily: poems, photographs, essays or stories. I've lived in countries all around the globe but have finally come to rest in Mexico, where I've lived since 2001. My books may be found on Amazon in Kindle and print format, my art in local Ajijic galleries. Hope to see you at my blog.

19 thoughts on “Alone”

    1. lifelessons's avatarlifelessons Post author

      Ha.. I actually wrote this years ago. Burger King used to be my favorite but I haven’t visited one in years… and French Fries no longer taste as good as they used to. Nothing does, as a matter of fact, except for some chocolate, Cheetos and Sangria! Ha. Not a very healthy diet. We should stage a reunion some time, Colleen. I’d come. Who would you invite? Pat, Jo, Who else besides you and me has survived??? I’ve love to see you, but we should plan a retreat for at least two days somewhere. Are you up for it? You could all come here for a week! Hint, hint. Or I’d come there…but would need to be sometime next year as I just got back from Sheridan.

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  6. slmret's avatarslmret

    Judy — This is the poem I wanted to comment on — don’t know how I got to the Burger King one! My comment was: A wonderful poem — BUT No-one to call When I take a great fall Sometimes I wonder How I’ll go under! Yes — I did take a great fall — more spectacular than anything else, and I didn’t break anything, but had some wonderful bruising! No harm done, but it did make me stop and think about my age and how to prodceed with health and well-being through the next several years — one down side of living alone! Love the poem — Janet

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    1. lifelessons's avatarlifelessons Post author

      You have close neighbors you are friendly with, right? At one point we had a first alarm company here where you could wear a necklace and push a button and they’d show up…but it closed down. I thought of that when I fell going from the pool to the hot tub and ended up face down in the hot tub. If it hadn’t been for the floating plastic bubble-wrap cover cushioning my fall, I could have knocked myself out and drowned..Makes me extra careful now. I have neighbors within shouting distance but doesn’t help if I’m unconscious or if they are not home or their doors and windows are closed.

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      1. slmret's avatarslmret

        So much to think about — yes, a LifeAlert system might be wise, perhaps banister rails on both sides of the stairs rather than just one, a move to a one-story house, and so on! Mindfulness is always helpful too — just not at that restaurant!

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    1. lifelessons's avatarlifelessons Post author

      I have a friend who never orders fries or dessert but steals my fries and asks waiter to bring an extra fork. It is one thing to offer but actually raises my angst to have her help herself. Once I was at a table of 4 and ordered a dessert and she told the waiter to bring 4 forks! The nerve. Another friend did the same thing–said she didn’t want dessert but when I passed it around, on the first round when it got to her, she didn’t pass the dessert on but finished off the entire dessert without returning it to me. Slow burn. I had one bite!

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  10. Pingback: WQ #31: Chaos Drives Me Crazy – Marsha Ingrao – Always Write

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