Daily Special by Don McIver

To the woman who works Central from University to Maple

As I fill her to go cup, I wonder,
Does she recognize me?
And as I give her the cup, I want to say,
“Are you okay?
Have you heard the blown rain on top of rain fly,
the lazy sighing of Aspen and Pine in the late May breeze,
the still, methodical rushing of river water running down?
Have you seen the threesome of chipmunks scurry over brush,
loose volcanic tuft,
and raven scat?
Have you seen the full moon streak the cloudy sky
and watch the grey undefined cirrus clouds move in
             and paint the sky a shade of slate?
Have you heard birds or seen words swooping overhead?”

And as she takes the cup from me, I want to ask,
“Are you okay?
Because your mascara doesn’t seem to be coming together in the corner of your eyes like I know you like it.
And the dirty Levi’s that you wore just the other day look a little bit more scuffed
and slipping off your waist reveal a crooked ladder of stretch marks
and a second pair of exercise pants underneath the dirty Levi’s.
As you rub the rub the track marks on your arm, your hands are shaking.
Fingernails bitten to the quick, wavering, as you take the cup from me
and you never
smile?”

Daughter, lover, sister, mother, friend,
life has yet to fill your cup and all I can give is ice.

Don McIver

Don McIver is currently the Learning Center Supervisor at Central New Mexico Community College. Don is a 4 time member of the ABQ slam team, an award winning host/producer of KUNM’s Spoken Word Hour, the author of The Noisy Pen, and editor of A Bigger Poet: The Unlikely Success of the Albuquerque Poetry Slam Scene. He’s performed all over the United States, produced poetry events big and small including being the Media Director for the Bravos Awards winning 2005 National Poetry Slam (the largest poetry slam in history), been published in numerous magazines and anthologies including the Harwood Anthology, Shine On You Crazy Diamond: Poems by Teens and their Mentors, Earthships: A New Mecca Poetry Anthology, Poems from the Big Muddy: NPS 2004, and Looking Back to Place.
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