Scenes from a Restaurant in the Time Between Variants
the guys from finance
hold their wine glasses by the stem
and every now and again
they do that swirl and sniff thing
the girl in the tight dress
is two drinks away
from feeling comfortable
a couple out on their first date
have discovered too late
that they have nothing to say to each other
the long evening yawns before them
the bathroom door bursts open
two bros wearing dark suits
and built like refrigerators
emerge, their eyes pulsing
with guilty energy
it’s happy hour
cocktails are fifty per cent off
and all the cocktails have jokey names
Insane Moose
Milantini
Rogue Zamboni
nothing on the menu escapes description
the Market Crashin’ IPA
has a dry hopped finish with a touch of citrus
the Failed Priest Sauvignon Blanc
is full bodied with gooseberry and melon grace notes
and that beet and feta salad we’ve ordered
just happens to be a personal favorite of our waitress
she loves that hint of sourness
the cheese brings to the dish
she’s a dancer, by the way,
lived for a while in Saskatoon.
Taking part in Open Link over at dverse.
Stopdraggingthepanda 
Excellent eye for small details. Great read. —CC
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Thank you!
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Super elegant piece, with some great lines too… For example:
“the girl in the tight dress
is two drinks away
from feeling comfortable” AND
“she’s a dancer, by the way,
lived for a while in Saskatoon.”
You display real style JIm
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Thank you Scott, much appreciated. JIM
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This is fantastic. I love all the character descriptions. My favourites:
“the girl in the tight dress
is two drinks away
from feeling comfortable”
“two bros wearing dark suits
and built like refrigerators”
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Thank you, Sunra, much appreciated!
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Wonderful scenes, well written. I feel like I’m in that restaurant.
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Thank you, Arjan, much appreciated. JIM
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You have expertly caught a moment in time!
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Thanks Kim!
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I like how you include the character of the drinks and food along with the character of the people there. I bet the place gets great Yelp ratings.
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Yes, it does. Of course I messed around a bit with the names of the drinks!
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I love all the details and the way I can find all those life stories there.
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Thanks, Bjorn, glad you like it, JIM
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