at a Mexican fast food place
after I ordered my lunch
I took my tray into the dining room
it was the kind of place
that had bench and tables in the
dining room
and pockets of dirt and grime
in every corner
and I noticed that the benches
and the tables needed a good scrubbing
and I tried not to
look too carefully
lest I jeopardize my appetite
and forfeit what I paid for this quesadilla
I tried not to make eye contact
with the other miserable patrons
each one sweatier than the one before
and tired
lifelessly picking at their food
and they clearly had no expectations
for this place
it was just a haven from their
mind numbing
soul robbing jobs
just looking at them
was further disgusting me
and this quesadilla
wasn't exactly lighting my world
on fire either
and it was a pretty wretched scene
and then I saw them
she had her back to me
but I could tell by his animated chatter
and by the way he leaned
across the table
he was quite taken with her
she looked about six inches taller
and about 4 inches wider than him
and it didn't seem to matter at all
as her head fell back with laughter
and her shoulders bobbed up and down
I could tell she was being won over
by his attention
I could see him feed her part of his lunch
and she reciprocated, giggling
perhaps foreshadowing the day when
they'd act out this ritual
with white cake instead of a soft taco
there was such tenderness
that they lit up their little corner
of that crappy diner
with the radiance of new love
and I smiled and looked away
affording them their privacy
and then quietly enjoyed my lunch