The Buffet of Me

did anyone notice the dingy green carpet

the light fixtures i hung my self esteem to dimly shine

the service with genuine smiles

as we take our not so precious time

trading out finished trays of food with new

come one, come all to the buffet of me

open every day except today

and tomorrow

unless i decide we’re open

which i guess… actually, sure, we are today

please enjoy skewers of sentences

oddly misshapen and out of place

certainly delicious, but only when fresh

and sides of every comfort soup you can imagine

simple but served hot every single time

i promise

breads baked daily

by someone else

we could never do it ourselves

we have too much time on hands we need to waste

you understand

please, this way, though keep your voice down

the meat of the thing is quiet, you know

if you want a slice you must take the knife

and cut the flesh yourself

soft, tender

burning to surrender to your plate

juicy with defeat and passion

and over here, the crisps

fried and overloaded with too much stimulation

sauced with too much saturation

of a world we only wanted to create in

but ended up being ate in

personally, i don’t recommend

the sushi isn’t good

don’t try it

it’s too raw, from a place too deep

too salty, too ginger, too sweet

unrefined, the rice is stale

all of it’s too pale when compared to anyone else’s sushi

the cakes and cookies are served in the dark

and eaten in private, if you will

consume them as if you were starving, animalistic

cruel and sadistic

then pat the corners of your mouth when you’re stuffed

whisper in our ears it’s not enough

thank you so much

i hope you enjoyed

we’re closed tomorrow

unless you come back

i can leave it unlocked just for you

Kay Cricket is a self published author of two poetry books and was featured in the Colorado Springs Gazette. Her main passions are poetry, foraging, and dancing around