By: Carl Papa Palmer

They meet every morning, Chuck and Mac, 8am for coffee,
twenty five cents a cup though everybody else pays a dollar.

Dolly knows they’ll be here two hours. Each has their usual:
grits, two eggs over easy, wheat toast and bacon for Mac,

two biscuits, gravy on the side and apple juice for Chuck.
Both are Vietnam veterans but don’t talk about it much,

mostly of good times they had with good men they knew.
Good men Dolly knew too, back when five sat at the table.