In Nashville sitting at the bar
In a diner for breakfast
After waiting in line for an hour
I got disgusted with the city
All at once
And couldn’t even order
When the waitress asked me
What I wanted
I just had to get out and away
From the food, the alcohol
The obesity, the intoxication

My dad told me
When we were waiting in line
That the wait was so long
Because everyone was still
Collecting their unemployment checks

Once I got out and walked
On the sidewalk
I saw a homeless man
Shirtless in the hot sun
Still not sure
Whether he should be awake
Or asleep
Or what he should do

I smelled the grossness of the city
The vomit from the man
We saw sitting on the curb
Last night
His friend was holding his head
To keep him upright

The leftover food in the trash cans
The sweat
The smells from the street food carts
That would have normally
Incited my appetite
Mixing with the foul smells
Made me want to vomit
More than I wanted to eat

I wanted to purge myself,
The people walking by
To eat, to drink
More
Already eating, drinking
On their way
To eat, to drink
More

I walked faster
To sweat, to move my muscles
To work
To do the opposite
Of eating, and drinking
More

It’s no wonder
How more than half the people
I saw walking around the city
Were obese

Every egg scramble
On the menu at the diner
Had cheese in it

All the tables were full
Of families, couples
And bachelorette parties
Eating, drinking
Smiling, laughing
Talking about where
They would eat and drink
Later that night

Sitting in their hotel rooms
Watching TV
In between meals
And bouts of drinking

July 18, 2021 at 10:27AM