first they kiss then
clean their plates of
cabbage and
paprikash and

they watch me
sideways in
their midst and
whisper in
their language as

i catch their gaze
give off a smile
they turn away they
glance once more i

fill a spoon with
mocha crème the
foam implodes the
moisture spills

embrace it with my
crimson lips and
all the while i

stroke my date
companion prop and
saving grace;

two-hundred-fifty
words per page in
perfect thermal binding

Previously published in BluePrintReview.

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Karyn Eisler’s poetry has appeared in UnFold, Leaf Press, and BluePrintReview. She received a poetry nomination for Best of the Net 2011 from Folded Word Press.