The time it takes to bring the capon in brown sauce,
they could have replayed the Ages of Man:
glacier, Indians, colonists, railroad, Route 2.
They could have reprised the FDR administration.
I bet Franklin and Eleanor’s order
for chicken-and-spaghetti is still yellowing on a spike.
Sunlight creeps low across the wood floor. Maples blaze.
They could have had another fall foliage season here.
They could have revived the knight who wore
the suit of armor propped up in the lobby.
They could have given the waiters a day at Happy Valley Golf Course.
Is it too late to call Search & Rescue about ours?
They could have staged As You Like It, but we’re stuck in Act I.
Sweetheart,
I’d like my hot brown succulent capon now.
(First published Common Ground Review)