Old Man Eating Alone in a Chinese Restaurant
by Billy Collins
I am glad I resisted the temptation,
if it was a temptation when I was young,
to write a poem about an old man
eating alone at a corner table in a Chinese restaurant.
(Read the whole thing here, at The Poetry Foundation.)
~~~~~
Elizabeth Steinglass has the round up this week.
6 comments:
Thanks for the BC fix, Karen. Absolutely loved your Chinese restaurant post yesterday. Had me howling. "Existential pain" = stroke of comic genius. Of course, these experiences are funny in retrospect, but strange and frustrating when they're actually occurring. Can't believe how grumpy that first waiter was. I hope you know, thanks to you, I'm on a mission to find egg rolls this weekend. :D
Oh, my WORD, I had egg rolls the same day!! They were leftover from one of Tech Boy's work functions - and I usually have a picky stomach when it comes to take-out food, but I WAS SO HUNGRY. Good grief; at least I didn't have to get into the car...
That story was HILARIOUS - but yeah, lesson learned: AVOID Chinese restaurants during Lunar New Year until after the Lantern Festival! It's going to be a crush, no matter what!!
And of course, more Billy Collins is always a lovely thing.
Oh...oh...oh. Of course, I love Billy Collins "Old Man Eating..." But I'm in stitches over your tale "..Chinese restaurant.." We had a Sunday afternoon like that and ended up at a supermarket deli getting their last broasted chicken to take home and make hot chicken sandwiches.
I love Billy Collins and no surprise I love this one too. I think it's his sense of humor that gets me. I love the shift in perspective from looking at the old man and being the old man. Thanks for sharing this! Sorry you had such a bad experience at your Chinese restaurant.
So much fun from you and Billy Collins!
Oh my, Lent is an adventure, no matter the season. I'm glad you could laugh about your travails in your search for Chinese food once it was all done. And I love the BC poem!
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