Friday, October 18, 2024

Dukes Barbecue

the wait staff sets checkered tables with salt

pepper, ketchup, napkins, & a loaf of white bread

what we called Wonder Bread when I was a child

the loaves are sealed in plastic, & we never

open them, never eat a slice, but work crews do

as do ginormous fat men, we wonder aloud

whether open loaves are replaced between diners


why eat bread when once you pay for your meal

you can go back for more as many times as you want

brisket, ribs, chicken, red rice, butter beans, fried okra

banana pudding, sheet cake . . . grease, salt, & sugar

I try not to go more than once a quarter, friends go

once a week, do work crews go every day?


afterward I feel queasy, maybe a slice of white bread

would settle my stomach, when I pass the Dukes sign

I turn my eyes to the other side of Folly Road

Premier Medical, Charleston Fire Department

Station 13 . . . places I could stop & beg for relief


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