Tacos and Tall Tales
Parking lot of Shaker & Peel; later John Chestnut Sr Park in Palm Harbor, FL
I am a tall man from the northeast
All six feet and two inches above the cold, hard ground
And I am used to
Average-sized birds
Appearing in parking lots
That we share together
Seagulls mostly and pigeons maybe
Tacos
Called me to a parking lot one Sunday afternoon
In suburban Florida
Where stood
An egret
Casually hanging out
In front of a restaurant
Like they were waiting for a seat
Or
Perhaps
Takeout
Do you want tacos,
Egret,
Or a burger?
A giant bird at half my height,
They stared down my fellow humans
Scattered across
Outdoor seating
As if to say
“I belong here
Just as much as you;
Now where are my fries?”
It wanted fries
Apparently.
Tall
Svelte
Pure white of feather
And black of long, thin leg
Kink in neck
And tall
So tall
For a parking lot bird
Maybe even
Table height
Everyone carried on
Like the egret wasn’t even there
Blocking the way into the restaurant next door
I, however
Laughed out loud
As I passed
And took a picture
Like I do
To this warm-blooded northern mammal
The whole thing felt
Surreal
I picked up my takeout and returned to my car
Made
Fast work
Of some absolutely tasty tacos
As I muched,
I set my attention upon the giantest truck parked in front of me
Black paint
Black grill
Imposing
And a small, pony-tailed blonde man
Stepped inside
Skin the color of red ochre
Likely from years spent baking
In the intense
Florida sun
He pulled forward
Our drivers’ side windows facing each other
In a tense
Stand-off
I awkwardly raised my napkined hand to offer a wave
Beard coated in chunks of blasphemous sauces
His eyes met mine
And he nodded
Gently
The moment frozen in time
Forever
Now that I have captured him
In poetry
Mwahaha
Even here
Especially here
Cracks can be found in the pavement
Of our reality
That call us to deeper communion
And relationship with
Everyone else around us
Majestic egret
And truck-driving old dude
Alike