At A Corner Table Poem by Cowboy Ron Williams

Just minding my own business,
eating a meal at the local McDonald's,
when a young couple came in
and sat in a remote corner.

They were thin and poorly dressed
and looked like they hadn't eaten
very well for quite some time.

They sat there conversing quietly
for many minutes and never
went to order any food.

Finally, he got up and went over to
where the napkins and condiments
were, picked up a few napkins and
several packets of ketchup.

Back at the table, he and the woman
proceeded to tear open the packets
and suck the ketchup out of them!
This made me want to cry.

I went back to the counter and ordered
two Big Macs, two large fries, and two
large drinks. When the order was ready,
I took the tray and delivered it to their table.

The look of astonishment and gratitude
on their faces was all the payment I needed.
They thanked me profusely
and the woman began to weep.

They blurted out their tale of hardship,
and it is too long to recount here,
and so incredible that you probably
wouldn't believe it anyway.

I gave them my phone number
and a hundred dollar bill
and told them to call me when they
needed more. So far, no more word.