Joseph A. Pinto

barflypoet & author of dark fiction


 

luncheonette

 

above and behind, an angel welcomes me in a cheap tinny din. am i dead, dying or somewhere between, like the sugar crusted counter before me and the residue of your sweet in my heart. my lungs sizzle with bacon fat and it’s a good thing because i’ve not much left of you to breathe in anymore. there’s a red stool and red nails carry a red-rimmed mug away and in my head i count the times the ghost of those lips grimaced when cooling the lie. who am i and where have you gone and why are the napkin cocooned knives so blunt? eventually shuffling forward, i take fate into shaking hands. your last gasp comes not accompanied with a movie reel of your greatest hits but atop a menu keen on choking the life force from your veins. this, the hell surely i earned but the impalpable angel once again clears its miserly throat and two old souls part the veil, fingers entwined. measuring my own, i realize sluggishly you still mar my gnarled emptiness. taught over and over breakfast is the most important meal of the day, i’ve lived famished on a diet of hope and silent ringtones and your wide eyes like the broken yolks of sunny-side up eggs but you’ve always hated eggs and it’s always killed me you’ve been so broken but i’ll love you like my last cup of coffee and you’ll stain my teeth twice as bad.

 

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© Copyright Joseph A. Pinto. All Rights Reserved.

 

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5 thoughts on “luncheonette

  1. Terveen Gill says:

    Can feel the turmoil in this one. The push and pull of feelings and the want that often reflects the hate. Maybe breaths of fresh air are forever tainted with the scent of those memories. Beautiful! 🙂

    1. Joseph Pinto says:

      nothing is ever ‘easy’ in what i write, Terveen 😉 thank you, i always appreciate you xo

  2. Sunra Rainz says:

    Wow, this is gut wrenching. The conflict of being in love, someone having a hold on you and you’re fighting it, but the anguish! It’s a recipe for poetry. I love these lines:

    “why are the napkin cocooned knives always so blunt?” I don’t know why this made me laugh. I was like, yeah, why are they?

    “I’ve lived famished on a diet of hope and silent ringtones and your wide eyes like the broken yolks of sunny side up eggs.”

    Stunning imagery. Well done.

    1. Joseph Pinto says:

      hi Sunra! i’m all about gut wrenching 🙄😉

      lol i’m so happy i got you to think about the status of most knives with that line, too!

      i love eggs…but she never did. seems fitting lol

      i appreciate you and your support so much xoxo

      1. Sunra Rainz says:

        You’re most welcome, Joseph! 🙂

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