The best compliment I've ever received

I was serving tables, getting paid for my smile, 

scraping my patience off of plates.

I was building a character to persuade the dollars 

out of your wallet. I was debuting small stand up routines 

& saying hello to your cute babies.

I was taking photos of your entire family 
& listening to your girlfriend bitch about the soup.

I was panicking about forgotten sides of ranch

or seeing exes & people from high school.

I was hooking your friends up with samples

& receiving passive aggressive pickup lines 
written on receipts with shitty tips. 

I was displaying my generosity & overall ability 

to be like a stripper with food.

I came up to the booth where a pleasant old man 

sat with his younger generations.

He stared directly at my stomach,

& I was thinking  

Do I have food on my shirt or am I bloated today...shit okay.

But I kept bringing plates & jokes.

I kept rushing around to small fractions 
of people's lives in their moments. 

I kept bending my arms & back to the shape of the trays,

holding the weight of drinks & expectations,

checking everyone's status. 

Every time 

the old man looked directly at my stomach.

When our time together was ending,

he said, eye level to my belly button: 

"You know, I'm blind, but I can just tell

that you're cute as hell." 

.Laura Curren.