STONER NARRATIVE

Bussing Tables at the Gingham House

A sixties flashback

Peter Max-like Psychedelic Beatles Art. Photo by Cas Holmes on Unsplash

I first heard the song,
‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.’
while I tabled the onion rolls and sourdough,
cleaned and wiped a booth,
and made sure not to steal
the server’s tips.

I heard nothing like it.
A little girl floating in space
was too much to bear,
so I shared my discovery
with a stoner coworker
because there was music in the air.

Inspired by the lyrics,
we snuck into the storeroom
to smoke a finely rolled joint.
“Yeah, the Beatles are great,” I said.
He said, “I’m gonna get Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts
Club Band,”
and sat there until the boss
heard us laughing hysterically.

“Hand over your dishrags
and your name tags —
leave through the backdoor,”
said the uptight manager.