A Note

You can always tell
when someone is trying
to sound like
somebody else.
They don't sound
like anybody.
If you want to bear
real fruit,
root down in
your own body.
When you are mad,
be 100%
of your anger.
Be all of your grief.
And when you feel
like no one at all,
rejoice in
your emptiness.
What if you're on
a journey,
and you stop
for coffee with fresh
marion berry pie,
and you fall in love
with the waitress?
Then gaze at her
like you mean it.
Tell her everything
in a single glance.
Leave her a very
large tip and
a note that says,
"I will never forget you."
And you won't.

* Painting: 'The Waitress,' William Paxton, 1923