sitting in Elmer’s
stirring through welcomes
and quick catching up with friends
I peruse the menu and take a sip
crystals lay on the bottom of the glass
so I stir some more my drink
now a murky snow globe
I don’t stop agitating
you see this is a perfect example
of payoff for perseverance
it will eventually dissolve and
offer itself up cold and sweet
and if not the iced tea of celebration
and thirst from a morning or
day or week going well
then the iced tea of solace
to cool the frustration
of a really bad one
in any case no one at the table
will notice the difference
in the sound rising
from my throat