it is tempting
to sift through
piles of reviews,
try to evaluate all
the star ratings,
gauge whether the
raters have tastes
anything like mine,
look at all the photos
of food and drink
from different angles,
check out the pretty patterns
drawn in milky foam,
learn whether the
staff are friendly
or perfunctory,
endless
endless
analyses
when all
that matters
more than what
might be in the cup
or on the plate
more than the
service or
the art or
the upholstery
is the person
who might sight
across from you
smiling
fingers on
your knee
and how
later
you’ll forget
all
but that
anyway.
narinda heng 