Counterman
What’ll it be?
Roast beef on rye, with tomato and mayo.
Whudduhyuh want on it?
A swipe of mayo.
Pepper but no salt.
You got it. Roast beef on rye
… you want lettuce on that?
No. Just tomato and mayo.
Tomato and mayo. You got it.
…Salt and pepper?
No salt. Just a little pepper.
You got it. No salt.
You want tomato?
Yes. Tomato. No lettuce.
No lettuce. You got it.
…No salt, right?
Right. No salt.
You got it. – Pickle?
No, no pickle. Just tomato and mayo.
And pepper.
Pepper.
Yes, a little pepper.
Right. A little pepper.
No pickle.
Right. No pickle.
You got it.
Next.
Roast beef on whole wheat, please.
With lettuce, mayonnaise and a center slice
Of beefsteak tomato
The lettuce splayed, if you will,
In a Beaux Arts derivative of classical acanthus,
And the roast beef, thinly sliced, folded
In a multi-foil arrangement
That eschews the Bragdonian pretensions
Or any idea of divine geometric projection
For that matter, but simply provides
A setting for the tomato
To form a medallion with a dab
Of mayonnaise as a fleuron.
And—as eclectic as this may sound –
If the mayonnaise can also be applied\
Along the crust in a Vitruvian scroll
And as a festoon below the medallion,
That would be swell.
You mean like in the Cathedral St. Pierre in Geneva?
Yes, but the swag more like the one below the rosette
At the Royal Palace in Amsterdam.
You got it.
Next.
— Paul Violi
This is my twelfth and last Sunday Poetry Post, and I thought I’d end the party by leaving a big gift box on your doorstep, one of my favorite poems by one of my favorite poets. You want elegance, wit and a flawless ear? You got it.
— Robert Hershon