Member-only story
When Light Comes In
It happens sometimes,
at the strangest times.
Like, check this out:
you’re sitting in a franchise sports bar
watching a football game,
watching other people
watching other games.
You hear a little girl squeal,
and you look over to see this radiant, precious child,
hot-wing sauce smeared over her face
shrieking ecstatically at her brother’s clowning.
A couple tables over
this burly old guy laughs
over his beer
while his burly middle-aged son laughs
over his own beer.
To the rear of them,
an older woman gets up from her side of the booth
moves just as lithe and playful as a teenager
as she trots around the table and slips into the other side
to snuggle into her man’s chest,
as they both giggle, gray-haired and content.
The waitress has sad eyes
after she shuts off the fake smiles
she flashes at her customers;
you see the sadness most when she
goes to stand by the kitchen…
