ok, wait, let's finish eating and thenwe can discuss our breaking up

i cooked for you
capers and all
a touch of basil
just as you loved it

i cooked for you that night
under the yellow light of the desert night
it was your choice living in nevada
and that winter i couldn't feel happier

i cooked for you
and you had something to say, you said
you seemed uneasy
you had had that look for at least a month

i thought you were pregnant
but you just wanted to break up
let's finish dinner first
and we can talk about it later

a caper got stuck in my throat
a damn greasy caper
and you did nothing
not even the heimlich

bitch


stewart pellegrino (Hoboken, NJ, 1972)