THE TRUTH OF AMERICA

The truth of America

resides in its diners

It’s strength and guts

pulsates within the people

who pour the coffee

cook the hash browns

clear the crumbs from the tables

Its spine is reinforced

by the truckers, those

baseball capped, plaid shirted

potbellied sages of the highway,

who are all cigarette smoke and runny eggs

Its inherent wisdom is supplied

by the rounded gray retirees

with their nonstop breakfast oratories

fueled by black java and massaged by

globs of Canadian bacon

Its moral fiber is woven

by the families squeezed

like sausages into the booths

as they gobble down lunch after church

Here is where the mélange of fried food,

friends and neighbors is served,

And when the last bit of food

has been eaten, and the last

drop of coffee drunk, they

will rise to their feet, slap down a tip

and walk outside to spread the truth

across America