Two Poems By Russel Winick

The Complainer

Inside a restaurant today
I heard an angry woman say
The meat she ordered was too scant
In light of what she had to pay.

So to a server she complained,
Who told her that the fact remained
She got the right amount, but for
An upcharge more could be obtained.

Then she replied, with temper hot,
That paying more she quite would not,
Instead she stated she would stick
With just the meager bit she got.

The lady stayed and slowly ate
Although her mood sure wasn’t great,
But when she finished I was stunned
To see good meat still on her plate.

Blue Moon Words

My many texts to her got no reply.
She clearly has priorities above me.
But each blue moon she’ll send a few words by -
Apologies, and just how much she loves me.

Mr. Winick fell in love with the poetry of Langston Hughes at age 14, but only recently began writing poetry at nearly age 65, after concluding a long career as an attorney. Close to one hundred of his poems have appeared or are forthcoming in over a dozen online and print journals.