She enters my bubble, sits facing me in this here American diner
staring straight out across the table, expecting me to recognise and remember
I retain my apparent composure as a power station fuels a search
through the totality of my memory
A brief, sensual smile disappears so fast, I’m not sure it was ever there
Out from shadows, a staff member readied approaches
fingers clasping notebook and pen poised
“An unbroken egg please; not boiled, fried, scrambled nor poached.” My company instructs, delivered matter of fact. “Shell left intact.”
Okay remember, this is New York, thinks the young and intelligent waiter
I’ll just provide what she wants and laugh to myself about it later
The waiter asks, “A coffee refill, for Sir?”
Expectant, hanging on for an answer
“Yes, he will.” My uninterruptible bubble invader opposite commands
“Because you like coffee, don’t you?”
I look up to the waiter, my expression vacant
His attention turns away, while her gaze remains fixed
“One complete egg and one refill, coming right-up.” The waiter says
leaving me alone with her in this one quarter-empty American diner
“Thank you.” I proffer as a gift
“That’s quite alright,” she says, “however, hold onto your britches
because there is a twist,” she says. “You’ll see.”
What choice of words might form coherently into a conversation? I wonder
Ideally, with an interesting theme, promoting further contemplation later
Nothing comes to mind no matter how hard I try
Don’t try, the sensible, advising thoughts convey
Don’t force it, just let it flow
Just let it flow
And yet, not one word appears, as is usually the case
in situations such as these
Probably, sometime much later a series of perfect lines will
Paragraphs of scripted dialogue, my words, her anticipated words
A natural back and forth exchange
Finally, a short circuit to my state of derealisation
the waiter returns; he’s not in actuality been gone long
A blue ceramic bowl contains an œuf vierge
and a clean saucer and cup filled close to the top
with a solution hot, black, lifts the sweet, aromatic vapour
To my surprise, all of a sudden
without any discussion in goes the egg!
Yes, really
She picked up the egg, deftly slipped it in without a splash
straight into the coffee cup
“Oh!” I say, forward-leaning over, peering down, observing
“Did you mean to do that?”
Brinkinfield 