Late at night is when we talk
He and I
Usually about soccer
But sometimes about serious stuff
I helped diagnose his knee injury
Two years later he gave me his knee brace
He has never not greeted me with a smile
He has never failed to say hello
He has never failed to key me into the copy room
late at night when I am the last one on campus
He is The American
He has a typical American name
His name is Shawn
His wife's name is Kim
It's funny because his last name is Kim
He has survived things maybe you have seen on the news
Maybe not, if you don't want to think of the rest of the world
He does not speak the language perfectly
But he perfectly understands
The difference between not me and him
But the difference between us
We both drink beer
Or vodka
Or whatever
We both dislike his boss
That is the difference we understand
It is Orwellian
It is Steinbeckian
Alan Paton in a bottle
Is our relationship
It is late at night when I am leaving campus
And because one of our custodians is out
Out with a case of ganglife
(He is American, too)
Kim is substituting
And I am lucky to meet her
For the first time
She is shy and does not speak the language
As well as Shawn
She, too, is American
And it is time for me to make copies
So as I say "It was nice to meet you"
Which is not American
She gets Shawn's attention
And tells him to give me egg rolls
One of my favorite American foods
I do not say that, though
Not in front of Kim, at least
Because she is shy.
We walk into his office
It always feels very comfortable in there
Because there is an old TV that looks
Like it runs on rabbit ears
And that is American
As Jackie Gleason
Or Bandstand
In Black and White
And he gives me all the egg rolls
Not one, or two, or four
But all fifteen of them
Homemade egg rolls
Homemade, American egg rolls
I try one there
It is cold
But it is good
Nothing homemade is never not good
Nothing American is never not good
I go home and put four in my old
American Toaster Oven
And warm them
They are amazing
They are American
And all my troubles are gone
As I picture myself drinking beer
With Shawn
But then I wonder if that will happen
Because this is America
He and I
Usually about soccer
But sometimes about serious stuff
I helped diagnose his knee injury
Two years later he gave me his knee brace
He has never not greeted me with a smile
He has never failed to say hello
He has never failed to key me into the copy room
late at night when I am the last one on campus
He is The American
He has a typical American name
His name is Shawn
His wife's name is Kim
It's funny because his last name is Kim
He has survived things maybe you have seen on the news
Maybe not, if you don't want to think of the rest of the world
He does not speak the language perfectly
But he perfectly understands
The difference between not me and him
But the difference between us
We both drink beer
Or vodka
Or whatever
We both dislike his boss
That is the difference we understand
It is Orwellian
It is Steinbeckian
Alan Paton in a bottle
Is our relationship
It is late at night when I am leaving campus
And because one of our custodians is out
Out with a case of ganglife
(He is American, too)
Kim is substituting
And I am lucky to meet her
For the first time
She is shy and does not speak the language
As well as Shawn
She, too, is American
And it is time for me to make copies
So as I say "It was nice to meet you"
Which is not American
She gets Shawn's attention
And tells him to give me egg rolls
One of my favorite American foods
I do not say that, though
Not in front of Kim, at least
Because she is shy.
We walk into his office
It always feels very comfortable in there
Because there is an old TV that looks
Like it runs on rabbit ears
And that is American
As Jackie Gleason
Or Bandstand
In Black and White
And he gives me all the egg rolls
Not one, or two, or four
But all fifteen of them
Homemade egg rolls
Homemade, American egg rolls
I try one there
It is cold
But it is good
Nothing homemade is never not good
Nothing American is never not good
I go home and put four in my old
American Toaster Oven
And warm them
They are amazing
They are American
And all my troubles are gone
As I picture myself drinking beer
With Shawn
But then I wonder if that will happen
Because this is America
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