On the sidewalk, a destitute couple
Linger at the shop window,
Dazzled by the wristwatches and rings
At the Federal Jewelry and Loan Company.
Next door, they come in from the March cold,
Into the long, deep tunnel of a restaurant,
the only real light is from Tulare Street.
A red neon sign in the window
Reads: DNALSI YENOC.
It’s afternoon, families with children file-in
With yellow trays, sit on yellow chairs
At yellow tables in long lines,
Inside walls of yellow patina.
Three ceiling-fans sit idle this day,
Over a row of tables in the center
Of the oblong passageway of the large room.
Everything is well-worn.
Passers-by on the sidewalk watch the cook
Flip wet burgers on the greasy grill,
Turn hot-dogs, slip them into smooth buns:
Onions and mustard, thin chili-sauce.
An old pole-liner with hearing-aids
In a crisp paper hat and a red apron,
(Everyone knows the old cook
And knew his father too).
He stands rigidly upright all day
in front of the wide gridiron.
Disoriented by his age, he works hard,
Sleeves rolled up when he speaks,
It’s English with a heavy Greek accent.
The daylight customers:
A cripple with deformed arms
And heavy boots, eats here
Slurping chili-cheese dogs.
A derelict with a ball-cap turned back
Walks in on worn-shoes too big for his feet,
Like two crescent moons at his pant legs.
A diabetic brags out-loud, feigning seizures,
He once ate 24 chili-dogs at one sitting,
When he weighed 300 pounds.
At lunchtime, four are his breakfast.
Salvation Army men in uniform come inside to see
How much of a meal one-dollar will buy.
Original Louisiana Hot Sauce sits on every table.
Overhead, religious radio works hard
To brighten up the place with Jesus,
For patrons are intent on eating,
Satisfying their personal hungers.
Poor, half-recognizable faces who cling
to downtown, and the last big-city diner
for the legions. NO CHECKS ACCEPTED.

Stephen Barile is an award-winning poet from Fresno, California, Pushcart Prize nominee, and former member of the Fresno Poets Association. He attended Fresno Pacific University, and CSU Fresno. His poems have been anthologized, published in numerous journals, both print and on-line. He taught writing at Madera College, and CSU Fresno.