al the butcher

my new best friend Al,
the butcher
up at the new
butcher shop in the plaza
says
what's it gonna be today pal.

I look
at the all the red
and white
meats cold and raw
behind the glass
counter.
two rib eyes, I tell him.
a pound
of bacon.
and a pound of that sirloin
ground beef.

he smiles, you got it he
says.
the usual.
so how's that keto diet going.
you look like you've trimmed
down.
not bad I tell him, and you?

business is booming, he says
and wraps up
all my meats in a white
roll of paper.