Cornelius Eady: "A Small Moment"

I walk into the bakery next door
To my apartment. They are about
To pull some sort of toast with cheese
From the oven. When I ask:
What's that smell? I am being
A poet, I am asking

What everyone else in the shop
Wanted to ask, but somehow couldn't;
I am speaking on behalf of two other
Customers who wanted to buy the
Name of it. I ask the woman
Behind the counter for a percentage
Of her sale. Am I flirting?
Am I happy because the days
Are longer? Here's what

She does: She takes her time
Choosing the slices. "I am picking
Out the good ones," she tells me. It's
April 14th. Spring, with five to ten
Degrees to go. Some days, I feel my duty;
Some days, I love my work.

"A Small Moment" by Cornelius Eady, from Hardheaded Weather: New and Selected Poems (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2008).

Art credit: "Fresh Daily Bread Vintage Metal Art Retro Bakery Tin Sign," image by unknown photographer.