Dinner For Two

A Blind Date

Suffering was on the menu

you were on a blind date with a woman named Hope

you threw skepticism out with yesterday’s trash

the name of the joint was Disillusionment’s Diner

you made your reservation under the name Gullibility

Suffering was on the menu with a special of spiced Flattery

Death was for dessert — did you want the banquet?

or only à la carte? how about some sides?

you scrutinized the menu and chose carefully —

give me a side of Lying with deep fried Exaggeration

for an entrée we’ll take two servings of Broken Promises

the waiter then asked you if you wanted any wine

yeah, let me see — I need a stealthy Syrah

with subtle hints of seduction, something that brings out the flavor

of the sauteed Broken Promises, but offsets the roasted Suffering

the waiter went into deep thought, and suggested

ah yes, I’ve got the perfect wine from Sucker’s Bluff

you had no ice-breaker, so you asked Hope about her past

she rambled about her two exes, Frank and a man named Hostilius —

Frank was too honest, and Hostilius was plain rude

you avoided talk of your last two exes, Victoria and Vendetta

you played with your napkin and stole a glance at your neighbor —

an older man sitting alone eating a massive plate of Regret

Hope then said she was looking for a lover far more optimistic

and you thought, good thing I ordered two servings of Broken Promises

© Carlo Zeno 2023

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Thanks for reading, and thank you to Franco Amati. Here are two older poems from my wall that would take you too much scrolling to ever discover🙏