Los Arcos

to the waitress at Los Arcos, Hoquiam

I come in through the arch
and you come out of the kitchen,
we're two plants setting root,

I’m looking for earth, you're
looking for water. Tendrils reach
out in Victorian dance,

probing with no touching, I'm looking
for lunch, you're looking for a tip,
we negotiate a well-worn path

through a played out garden.
Tendrils contract, roots withdraw,
I go out through the arch,

you go back into the kitchen,
I'm looking for earth,
you're looking for water.