Of change and time . . .

 

 

"The Loiterers" is a poem written in terza rima, the story being told from the point of view of one of the"grizzle-headed men".

PAS DE FLÂNAGE is French for "NO LOITERING". 

The photo is from an article by Michael Hatfield, McDonald's Coffee and God's Grace.

 

The Loiterers

 

Each morning at exactly nine o’clock,

our fellowship of grizzle-headed men

meets at McDonald’s, métro Frontenac.

 

We take our customary seats, and then,

despite the posted warning, PAS DE FLÂNAGE,

drink discount coffee for an hour or two.

 

Surrounded by a motley entourage

of East-End Montrealers, we outdo

each other with our lively poppycock.

 

Long since returned from distant Neverlands,

we turn a deaf ear to the ticking clock.

The manager is kind. He understands

 

our joie de vivre, our order of the day;

refills our cups, and grants that it’s no crime

to hold our own, and though we overstay,

 

to squander what we’ve left of change and time.