Soup, Sandwiches and Coffee

An excerpt from my upcoming poetry book “Arugula
Salad and Other Food for Thought”.
The sign said Soup, Sandwiches and Coffee
as the long line started to form.
It didn’t matter if unsettled weather
was imminent from an approaching storm.
Men of all ages and sizes trying to get their fill,
only one question left, who will fit the bill?
I’ll have a latte, said one – another, tuna on rye,
I’ll just have butternut squash soup, hold the fly!
Hooking across the street at the park,
another line starts to form.
There is no sign and
the customers aren’t the norm.
The men and women clamor for coffee,
sanwiches and soup.
An old woman sips slowly,
sitting on a stoop.
Some eat pretty fast,
soggy sandwiches in the rain.
But we’re all happy and dry,
inside the old Au bon Pain.