Saturday, August 19, 2023

At the Malt Shop (new poem)



At the Malt Shop

by Tim Kavi

On Main Street

in my old hometown

there was a soda fountain malt shop place

that sort of reminded me of the movie

It's A Wonderful Life


It was still there as late as the 1970s

and part of the 1980s

but the kids from the 1950s

were all grown up now

and the counters and stools

were empty


but you could still go there

and get a cup of coffee

or a milkshake

and the old man who owned the place

wore a suit with a narrow black tie

his hair slicked back

horn-rimmed glasses


his adult son still worked with him

but at this point, it seemed a labor of love

forgotten love songs played on the jukebox

in a place where there seemed to be quiet

ghostly shadows juxtaposed on the walls

dancing in the natural light

that came through big picture windows


I would go there and order a cheeseburger

and it would take a few minutes as he cooked it from scratch

this was not a fast food place

and the owner would deliver it to my table

with a big basket of fries

and a check that looked like it was straight out of film noir


the place wasn't open much longer

but the cheese burgers , the Cokes,

the milkshakes were good

I saw my mother's saddle shoes hanging on the doorknob 

when I left it that last time


I thanked the owner and his son

It was a time traveler's treat

My grandmother used to work here, I said

back in the 1950s

her nickname was 'Cookie' I said

he had a huge smile


and he had just as many memories as me

only mine were slightly different from his

but we can still make them, even today

(based on a real visit)

that some can only know virtually now...

or, if they take the time, on the silver screen.

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