Dear Diary:
Last night
I joined my friends and their toddler
for a drink at a sidewalk cafe in Brooklyn.We indulged in a large plateful
Of crispy onion rings
and a basket of fries
(ice cream for the child).A little girl on a scooter
(no parents in sight)
wheeled over to us
and peeked at our food.Turning the corner
she rolled up for a side view
of our bounty, surveying us as well.Assuming her parents were nearby
and would scold her for being nosy
we did not acknowledge her.
But she kept looking.As she devoured my fries with her dark eyes
It occurred to me that she might be hungry
or had always wanted to eat at a sidewalk cafe . . .
or had no one to mind her.We kept eating and drinking and she rolled away.
This morning over coffee I felt terrible regret
that I did not ask her to join us
for a bowl of ice cream.
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