I’m reading from the menu in this life’s quaint cafe
and see that all the specials here were served up yesterday
and you, my waitress, bring a menu, and toss it in my lap
as I avert my swollen eyes, refusing to look back
You rattle off my choices, with such practiced ease
to my chagrin you didn’t offer a thing I’d care to eat
I asked you what the hell you meant as you filled my ears with hate
and what were your intentions as you heaped more on my plate
and dumped out your emotions, and pushed them toward me too
and got more angry when I said there’s nothing I could do
then filled a glass with swollen tears, much to my alarm
set that down, and glared at me and folded angry arms
but drink that down, you told me then, and to my disbelief
you smiled at me, but then you said, the refills are on me
the second course, to my surprise, was memories decayed
with sides of pain and discontent, with a hollandaise
I asked if I could skip the courses - three and four and five
but on they came, and next you brought transgressions, lightly fried
then came fear, and loathing too, followed by my pride
then the main course, deceit with lies, and denial on the side
I knew that I had had my fill, I couldn’t down much more
but then there came, my just desserts, that confectionary tour
sponge cake from my troubled mind, with sorbet from my heart
black forest cake from in my soul, and friendship offered tarts
you sliced each dish with malcontent, with daggers from your eyes
and served each plate with bad intent, and disaffected sighs
then came my tab, to my surprise, there was nothing left to pay
you gently set in at my sleeve, and turned and walked away
John J. Senchak
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/manipulation-the-life-cafe/
