Eating for two

He doesnt move
brotha cant
breath turns to pant
and the room is spinning
world closing in
options thinning
tick tock
dude is screwed

Waitress eyes him from the counter
"fool better have my money"
she forgets all the static 'round her
and closes in on this dummy

"Thats 12.50, sir, plus tax"
brotha is deaf and blind
any other time
he'd be plotting to wax that ass
but fatherhood schools fools
he just stares at the empty seat
the emptiness of defeat

"Sir! Hey sir!
I got shit to do and kids to feed"
he doesnt hear her
others' wounds dont bleed
when all the pain in the world is his
"Sir you need to handle your biz."

He lashes out at her hand
going half crazy, this man
grabs her, frightened,
grabs her beside him
"Sir, you done lost your damn mind??!"
but he just stares at the empty seat, blind

"She sat there and claimed it was mine...."


p.s. for the record, NOT how i reacted.