for breakfast i am a jew
for lunch i am a buddhist
for dinner i am a muslim
after dinner i am christian
on weekends i am a pagan
the rest of the time i am an atheist

i had dinner with
three young japanese engineers
at my mom’s home
and i asked them
if they like yukio mishima
and none of them knew
who yukio mishima was

my son said hi to you.
we took a photo of you and him.
you said you like my sweater.
i gave it to you.
i asked you to join us for dinner.
you did not make it.
i asked you to send us a photo
of you wearing the sweater.
you sent one.
we loved it.
this is how everyone
in the world should behave.

it is there every day
changes colors
something to talk about
over dinner or coffee