across from where we were seated
a loud metallic clatter….no one but you turned around
knives, forks, hundreds of kitchen utensils spilled out
of a large bin the waiter carried
bounced off each other into our conversation
hitting the restaurant floor I'm not everyone, I said

                                                       there was no safe distance
kept falling out of the bin
out of her mouth into her cell phone I said
no, that last one was aimed at you don't look
he said, too late... all that beautiful
sunny day-after-day- blue deepening into
blue sky week right thru my birthday
a perfect weather storm raged between
words uttered and those that weren't

        Linda Lerner