For the last lunch on the Titanic,
the kitchen served corned beef and dumplings.
We know because one of the men
who was saved in a lifeboat
kept his menu with him,
and over a hundred years later
someone bought the old scrap of paper
for eighty-eight thousand bucks.
My friends, just in case I die tonight,
and just in case it’s a dramatic,
exciting death, I want you to know
that for lunch I had Lay’s potato chips
and a Caribbean Spice smoothie
with protein powder. I didn’t
save the menu, I know, what a bummer.
But it’s written in chalk on the wall
at Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli, and if you take
a picture, well, somewhere down the centuries
it might just make a fortune for your kids.
Unlike that lucky survivor, I don’t happen to have
a Turkish bath ticket I can send you.
Too bad. I would have loved one today.
But perhaps at auction
you can make a few extra bucks
if you throw in the knowledge
that the sunflowers were in full bloom,
and the cottonwood trees were golden,
though it was already October 3.
The whole sale would be more profitable
if only I were more famous. Sorry.
Oh yes. Two pickles. I nearly forgot to mention.
They throw them in free with the kids’ sandwiches,
but those pickles might be worth a lot to you.
I hope not many others will die in this disaster,
but know that I am aware as I write this
that there is a sweet danger brewing,
and there are no life boats.
A great “what if” based on the events of the Titanic. A quiet humor here that I like, with those domestic banalities striving to become collectible. Very nice. I also love the contemplative mood, the looking back into your day instead of into history as the poems gains traction.
What kind of a discount do I get on those details if I bid on them while you’re STILL ALIVE?? (What a coup! I’ll have something to WOW them with at luncheon!…)
hahahaha!!! This is a VERY old poem that somehow was on private … so I made it public today when I stumbled on it while searching for poems about pickles (um, yeah). And you get a full discount. 100 percent free for YOU!!!
I’ll TAKE it! 👩❤️👩