Apology to a Denny's Waitress

I don't have
the time to make
more money, to
spend it here, or
to buy food.

I'm sorry I don't
leave large tips,
or buy the whole menu,
but I can't.
I do what I can
to help, I'm not
the only one
in a rough spot.

However,
at the moment, I'm
hard-pressed to
keep my own shit together.

Until such a time
that I can support
even myself,
I hope
this poem will suffice
from me to you

As much as
strangers can
understand
eachother,

-Mike Tousignant

Files

Catherine.jpg - 2,431 bytes, 180 downloads

Comments

Norm -
Did you actually leave this as a tip? Man, I hope so. It sure had me smiling.

Michael Mission Harris -
I did. I think there's a picture of it somewhere... a few of these were one-offs I wrote on the way out the door and left on the table, esp. in April.

Anstey -
That's wild man. Was the Denny's at exit 6? Or the one in Tewksbury?

Alcuin of York -

This evoked several reactions in me: Happy that you left her something and made her aware of the shared condition; sad for your financial circumstances (and hers); hopeful that she appreciates poetry.

We unrich need as sense of camaraderie, and the unity that goes with it.

Alcuin

Michael Mission Harris -

Neither Steve, the one in Salem. I had a horrible experience at the one at Exit 6: my band and I came in one day with some friends, and a manager gave us shit because someone pulled a chair up to a booth, heckled us (said they had to go wait in line to be seated, and he'd see if he could get them near us. Mind you, there was NO ONE else in the friggin place), and when we asked what the problem was he called the cops, so we had to leave. I have nothing but disdain for that Denny's.

The Salem one, however, was pretty much where I hung out every night for like a year and a half for coffee and cigarettes with my friends, until the smoking ban. Very nice waitstaff, good people, and Darlene was the nicest lady ever. I forget if I left this one for her though...

Norm -
Ah, Denny's... where they refused service to a black man who turned out to be a Secret Service agent. You can't make this stuff up.

Celticlion -
Oh, you are dreadful! Had I been your waitress at Denny's, which I never would because I can't stand all those sticky flavoured syrups and breathing the fumes of frying pork fat makes me have hallucinations that my name is Trixie and I live in a doublewide. But back to the extremely important matter at hand, I would have chased your poetic butt right into the parking lot with a can of whipped cream and followed you furtively in my polyester uniform through the parking lot to your car. Then I would have sprayed in ruffly big birthday letters, "Poor Poet, Beware" on your auto and maybe on you, if you were cute. But if you were brutish, short and angry, I'd have run like hell. Do not ask what I would have done if you'd had the gall to leave a haiku. Yours with a Rooty tooty fresh and fruity, C

Catherine.jpg