I Lost My Steak of Attendance for Beef Udon
?

 

Appetizer:

I:  Just a few minutes from the train station,

drive, left turn

through a yellow gate–Japanese Restaurant.

Look, Grandpa with his portable white camera–I almost

thought he only had one eye,

fascinating–paparazzi of our own.

Assembling a V-form with my right-hand finger,

a routine after years–I stretched hard

(not to disappoint my one-eyed Grandpa),

the nerves in my palm are inelastic, I assure you.

Sweet grin

turned sour–

upholding the best smile.

 

II: Cushion seat, He drove–

how long, how long, how long!!

Grandpa never needed a radio

network to keep our ears company–

how convenient!

Our staple remark in Canton,

wild smirk to excite Jie Jie–

beamed in a pod.

Yellow gate: I spied,

left-turn: that’s checked–

big wooden door: the familiar

irasshaimase came crescendoing in unison.

Oh-yes, a V-finger-pose by the door; expected request.

 

Main Course:

III: Never I asked to pass the menu, please–

I would be cheating

if I dared to consider otherwise;

always loyal to Beef Udon.

Dad went for steak,

JieJie and Mom went for salmon,

and Grandpa went for

standing-up-and-asking-a-nearby-individual-for-a-picture;

I was too young

ever to consider other poses,

V-fingers it was–

I was always loyal.

 

IIII: One chance per trip,

for the yellow gate-left turn’s Beef Udon

I recollected to myself.

Beef Udon is a privilege–eat slow.

 

Dessert:

IIIII: Having options is one thing;

deciding between two choices

of ice cream flavor–deadly serious.

I swear I prayed,

for sesame to be there that day–it did / God listened.

 

IIIII I: Another year until I return to Canton,

until my following slurp–

the best Beef Udon.

 

Post-Meal:

/ : the next time I went to Canton

was four years after–

Grandpa's abrupt passing.

At the end, this time, of the trip,

I begged to hear irasshaimase again.

One-eyed did not come;

no need to stress about-stretching

my inelastic fingers to a V.

Ordered salmon this time–

can’t seem to persuade myself why;

sesame ice cream was gone a year ago,

Grandpa a week.

 

//: Perhaps we shall try other Japanese Restaurants next time;

this place really changed ah Mui, Dad told me that night;

I nodded. The idea of

Beef Udon

was never the remark in Canton;

I lied about loyalty.