The Tree Room Poem by Dallin Bruun

between bites of her appetizer
Sarah said, I can't ever enjoy a place like this
because I know my family could never afford it

I didn't know how to respond
I was in enchanted

the expensive Native American art
the tables of cultured film festival patrons
the 5 waiters
the head waiter, Tyler, who could have been a lawyer
the freshwater Hawaiian prawns, garnished with pickled pineapple
the rare meat cooked rare

but Sarah was right
a fantastic restaurant like the Tree Room
would never exist
if there wasn't rich people
not thinking about poor people