Sliced Pear and Cheese by Jonathan K. Rice

At the wine bar
we sat at one
of those tall tables
in a corner

looking over
the wine list,
sun streaming
through the window
behind us

ficus tree casting
plastic leafy shadows
across the menus

You told me
the ficus tree was
the official tree
of Bangkok

I didn’t know that
but I’d seen plenty
of live ones
in south Florida

We chose a chilled
white wine with
sliced pear and some
kind of white cheese

Killed the bottle,
laughed through it all,
talked about our jobs,
family, books, art

We split the tab
You pulled me close,
kissed goodbye

I still like the pairing
of cheese and pear
with white wine,
the taste of goodbye,
the significance of ficus trees

Jonathan K. Rice edited Iodine Poetry Journal for seventeen years. He is the author of two full-length poetry collections, Killing Time (2015), Ukulele and Other Poems (2006) and a chapbook, Shooting Pool with a Cellist (2003), all published by Main Street Rag Publishing. He is also a visual artist. His work has appeared most recently in Foliate Oak, Grey Sparrow, Mad Swirl, The Main Street Rag, Minute Magazine, South Florida Poetry Journal and forthcoming in Abbey, Amethyst Review, As It Ought To Be, First Literary Review-East, San Pedro River Review and Trailer Park Quarterly He is the recipient of the 2012 Irene Blair Honeycutt Legacy Award for outstanding service in support of local and regional writers, awarded by Central Piedmont Community College. He lives in Charlotte, NC.