Thanksgiving
In Retrospect
The restaurant where I ate at most
Has long since closed its door.
The owner's long retired --
She, the cooking, does no more.
'Twas a little family business
With exclusive clientele.
I can't think of many patrons
That I didn't know all that well!
You know those fancy restaurants
With no menus? You don't choose.
You always take the special --
And you never, ever loose!
Those places where they make the food --
You watch and smell it cook.
They serve it up from pot to plate
Five stars! Best in the book!
I ate there twice a day for years.
On weekends, make that three!
Sometimes we're four -- (the most was five)
Real exclusivity!
The fare was often simple,
Healthy, pleasant to the eye --
The portions? More than generous.
To that, I won't deny!
On weekends it was special --
Fancy drinks, and sweet desert --
Sometimes it'd be a single course,
Inspired, creative spurt …
Fresh-baked, plate-size biscuits
Sliced in half, then overflowed
With fresh sugar-coated strawberries,
Whipped cream (by hand!) -- it showed :D)
A culinary expertise
Not seen before or since!
Though that was it -- 'twas quite enough!
Our stomachs? -- Fat and dense!
Or cantaloupe -- too, sliced in half,
Seeds scooped to make some room
For several scoops of ice cream …
Just one course, but absent gloom!
Then there's the meal at Higgins Lake --
We patrons, put to work
Collecting wild blueberries
Off the vine -- we didn't shirk!
We watched them placed in bub'ling goo --
Fat pancakes, open flame --
Thick but'ry syrup with ice-cold milk.
For seconds, back we came!
Quite often on the weekend
With anticipation high,
We watched the taller owner
Take a spoon and calmly ply
Several scoops of high-grade ice cream
Into tumblers -- Supersized!
Fill them up to overflowing,
Pre-black cows then realized!
A black cow, (for uninitiates)
Starts out a creamy white --
When root beer hits the ice cream
Bub'ly foam floats into sight --
Which one just has to inhale
Or it makes a sticky mess!
Keep inhaling as he pours it on --
A taste-inspiring stress!
Did I mention that this restaurant
Was inside a small motel
That I stayed in quite exclusively?
It was more like a hotel --
In that laundry was provided for,
A concierge there, too --
Who provided transportation
Curbside service, like they do.
Both the restaurant and the motel,
With its perks, just ran a tab.
It was weird -- they called it "Pass it on" --
We patrons called it "Fab!"
The idea was that we didn't need
To pay a living cent --
Not then to them, the owners,
What, instead, it really meant
Was that we, when we got older,
Open up, each one, his joint --
Should provide these same provisions to --
You know, you get the point :D)
So I write this to the owner
Of that fabulous motel
Who, at 96 -- still kicking --
I can say, "You did quite well!"