Mini Mart

by Franco Bertucci

All he said was,
"You need coffee?"
and I knew that he was good
and that we would
be fast friends-
brothers-
were I to stick around.

Perhaps every traveller
who caught his open sign
at three in the morning
felt the same about him.
Any live human being
you meet at that hour
is your friend by default-
especially if he has coffee.

I've had warm feelings
in mini-marts before.
Convenience store clerks
are a gentle race to begin with-
human and kind in contrast
to the junk they sell.

But this man, I imagine,
was a saint of some kind,
sent to the Highway 2 Mini Mart
for some disguised, important reason-
brewing coffee, mopping the floor
and listening for a signal.
But I couldn't stay
to find out anything more.

Awkward Guy

Poems and other embarassing things. 2011 Franco Bertucci - Tips