On Eating Alone

The crunch of breaking bread

Over your own table,

The crumbs spilling

To litter your plate for later

You wonder if the mirror on the wall is one way.

Are people watching your private indulgence?

You break your bread and lick olive oil from your fingers,

and hope that the voyeurs enjoy themselves.

Choose with wild abandon

The things with which your lips are anointed

There is no one here to count your calories

Any choice you make is sacred

Any choice you make is the right one

Here, you take up space

You demand to feel pleasure on your own terms

You fulfill your own needs

If people stare at you, smile back.

Originally written Dec. 10, 2019