Tag: restaurants

Long Live the All Day Breakfast Diner by Bartholomew Bakelaar

Interior of the Hi-Lite Restaurant in Niagara Falls
Interior of the Hi-Lite Restaurant in Niagara Falls

Long live the All Day Breakfast diner
that makes this world of rainy days finer! —
The coffee cup, the stirring spoon
mixing sugar & cream, first sip soon
And then– all things better —
no matter the weather, a blessing or a curse
beautiful or ugly, its all the same universe.
The constant hustle streams by on sidewalk while
the serene sips inside produce an effortless smile
We owe it to ourselves
to put the tools down for a minute
& turn our backs on the machine, forget it.

Bartholomew Bakelaar by Nichole Bakelaar
Bartholomew Bakelaar by Nichole Bakelaar

Sip a coffee in a booth, forget seeking truth,
fall silent in peace, let it all be.
Have a second, third , a fourth cup of coffee
there’s no hurry, nowhere to go, nowhere to be.
The galaxy wheels overhead in perfect harmony
with all there is, even as you sit
enjoying yr own company
at the All Day Breakfast diner, tell me
what could be finer?

Source: The Author, 2017

Scenes From a Hungarian Restaurant by C. D. Onofrio

Savoury & Sweet Restaurant in Chippawa
Savoury & Sweet Restaurant in Chippawa
Stew Brennand, Tyler Lindsa,y Kyoshi, and C.D. Onofrio performing at Savoury & Sweet Restaurant

little European
Herman Hesse
Maybe Berlin
where Jazz
plays in the club
and the young
women sitting
across from me
conjure visions
of love sweet love
sweetly the piano
plays me into reverie
once I dreamed
this place
once I dreamed
I was Hemingway
shucking oysters
on the Seine
with my pen
and poor finances
doing one of life’s
finer romances
to be in on a conversation
that spans the ages
shaking hands
with humble sages
preparing dinner
playing waitress
“so think with me on this,
how did this moment
come to exist” on somethingness
on nothingness
what’s going on
>behind the scenes
before the singer
begins to sing
imagine what went in
to that note
before this
moment
was composed
“pennies from heaven”
a poor man like me
who might chronically
underachieve
but you know
somedays I’m so sure
somedays I believe
Oh Mary, your faith was so great
“there’ll be pennies from heaven for you and me”

Source: The Author, 2017

Italian Angel of Gelato by C.D. Onofrio

 

C.D. Onofrio
C.D. Onofrio playing at Taps Brewery, Niagara Falls

Italian Angel of Gelato
Watching over me
a plea
a very simple plea
don’t you ever change what you do or the way you are
Italian Angel of Gelato
Saint of Christ
Christian Spiritual Warrior
Italian Angel of Gelato
We are a part of something
We didn’t know it until we were
We didn’t say anything,
no formal announcement
no insignia or trademark
or logo

Ice Cream!
Italian Ice Cream – located at 5458 Victoria Ave., Niagara Falls,Ontario

We knew it when we felt it
looking into angelic eyes
high on the holy
and saintly and wise
delving into life’s simple pleasures
and finding God there
sitting back and listening
and finding God there
playing like children
and finding God there
sharing a drink
and finding God there
opening small doors with sophisticated handles
and finding tartuffo as far as the eye can see
the delicate look on the little girl’s face as she touches her tongue
to her first bite of strawberry ice cream
and to know the sort of spirit that went into it
it’s like innocence meets innocence
and when they shake hands
there’s a holy moment subtly happening
hoping that time is a playful little child
laughing with her tongue out
and minding not the least that gelato melts down her chin
she holds her spoon up in the air like a magic wand
waving her elated little hand for mamma
to come and share in her treasure
and mamma looks right into her
and makes a note to remember

(Inspired by Italian Ice Cream and its owners, the Vergalito family)

Source: C. D. Onofrio, 2017