an’ there was all these men sittin’ ’round eatin’ rolls…stickybuns…leftovers from the near-by doughnut shop…came in big plastic bags…green garbage bags really…just threw ’em down in the center of the gatherin’ place on big long wooden card tables…the kind people sit behind when their conducting a meeting…or wantcha’ to get in line for a ticket to a Friday night football game or something…
just tables with garbage bags in the middle of the room with men pickin’ through ’em…some complained ’bout the pecan rolls bein’ hard…stale…others ate ’em just fine…like they hadn’t had nothin’ for days…
an’ there was hot coffee served in these big silver pots at the end of the tables…milk and some half-n-half in cartons with Elsie the cow on the boxes…that big goofy smile on her face…always happy to give milk…nicest cow i ever knew…
pretty soon the boys come through the place with the big push-brooms…sweepin’-up discarded wax papers that wrapped ’round the doughnuts an’ buns…swept-up napkins and styrofoam cups…couple of loose teeth that lay on the floor…they was fallin’ outta’ crazy John’s head left an’ right….he was bleedin’ like a stuck pig…in his hands was this sticky bun covered in nuts an’ blood…nuts an’ blood…the roll just took it all in like a giant sponge…he just sat there with that goofy smile on his face eatin’ away….just eatin’ away…
they started taken the garbage bags ‘way an’ all the men went to pushin’ an’ shovin’ for more…Old Joe told ’em to get back or there wouldn’t be any kinda’ breakfast tomorrow…they was just words…just words….
i sat an’ watched with my cup of coffee…didn’t want any rolls…just coffee…chapel was startin’ soon…we’d all bow our heads an give thanks for the bags of sweets…
we all gave thanks… we all gave thanks…
dmseay 