norma's cafe hamburger

it comes with two patties,
browned crispy on the outside,
juicy on the inside,
each with the cheese cooked on top,
lettuce tomatoes pickles and
a slice of purple onion
like the ones i ate as a kid
in greek diners
with pictures of telly savalas
with the owner hanging above
the first dollar he ever made,
a seeburg jukebox in every booth.

the fries were killer too
(j.w. says the secret is
double frying, and i realize
i haven't had ones this good
in many years).

it's an archetypal texas cafe:
the two specials on the chalkboard
with two soups of the day
and five veggies
(you get three with the entree).

eating in diners remains
one of my most vivid memories
of being a kid on long island.
when mcdonald's came, when i was ten,
we ate there once and didn't like it.
it was only later, when i was
a teenager and subject
to the whims of other teenagers
that i started eating there
on a regular basis.
i dig norma's because
it feels like home.