Overheard: Everything bagel! Cup of ice!
Where it took me: I’m always amused by the
things people order, even more so when I realize that some orders sound like
personality traits. Since I’m a writer, I get to make things up anyway, so even
if I’m guessing at those traits, that’s part of my job. And it’s Hallowe’en, a
good day for considering the costumes in which we present ourselves to the
world.
The poem
On the Menu
If we could order up people
like we order coffee:
Tall decaf. Blueberry scone.
Tall, not too excitable.
Blueberry; can be both wild and cultivated.
Scone; has some history. Sweet, but not cloying.
Everything bagel.
Overeager. Wants it all.
Bottled frapuccino and a pumpkin muffin.
Doesn’t care to wait. Gourd-shaped.
Grande caramel macchiato.
Open to possibility.
Pushes boundaries.
Tall banana latte.
Blonde. Unconventional.
Iced venti latte.
Cold, direct. Needs a lot of coffee.
Cup of ice.
Sexually frustrated.
Viennese coffee.
European, arty, distinguished.
In here, people don’t look like their dogs.
They resemble their drink orders.
