V & M Restaurant

&

Poetry




This page is unique in that it contains poetry where one of my favorite local restaurants is mentioned at least once. Most in one way or another refer to my bike rides along the path that leads to Belleville where I often take a breakfast or lunch break. A number of poems were started or written in draft form while there.

If you are in Belleville, Ohio, and are looking for a place to eat, stop in at V & M (104 Main St.). It has some of the best and friendliest servers along with delicious food. Be sure to tell them that Poet Bob sent you.



V & M Restaurant

Dishes clash in the background
....as patrons chat,
....words indistinct,
....creating a cacophony of sounds.

The owner and son peer out over their realm
....assuring the efficient flow of meals.

Whitney, Courtney, and Jackie scurry
....among tables,
....delivering food and friendly service.

A fellow in the next booth
....orders, “Eggs over easy.
....Bacon extra crispy with rye toast.”

Some stand waiting,
....eyeing for an open table.
A few wonder
....when that writer will vacate
....his coveted seat.

Breakfast is in full swing
....on Saturday morning at the V & M.

Comments: Poetry can't always be about deep thoughts. Sometimes it is about celebrating daily life, especially at a favorite local diner.

Some of the friendly staff
Shawn, the middle left, is the manager

One Spring Morning

Who will it be,
.....Ann, Carol, or Amy?
Another bike season
.....has arrived
.....along with breakfasts at V & M--
.....a place where friendly smiles await.
It is a mere five-mile ride
.....from Butler to my favorite booth.
Today, it is Amy
.....who places the teapot
.....of hot water before me
.....as I ponder the day
.....of writing upon my soul.

Comments: I truly enjoy my rides and breakfasts at V & M. I even have a special booth which I like to sit. If they are not super busy, I have written a few poem drafts there.

Ann serving a customer

A Spring Ride

.It is early May.
The strong wind rushes
....through the hair.
Buds have begun to burst.
Though the sky is milky,
....delight fills every pore.

Thirty minutes later
....seated at V & M,
....I await my favorite breakfast–
....comfortable in the knowledge
....that the breeze
....will be the coaster
....that pushes me home.

Comments: This poem describes an early morning spring ride. The headwind was fierce. But like any cyclist knows, the cruise back is an easy one. The once damnable foe becomes your closest friend. One barely needs to pedal. Ahh! It doesn't get any better.

Contrasts

Sitting on the couch
.....watching the images flash by
.....can be a pleasure.
There is no sweat
.....or breathing hard,
.....a cold beverage by your side
.....in case you become
.....too warm.

Riding the trail
.....can be a pleasure.
The smell of fresh air
.....exhilarates the lungs.
The tensing of muscles
.....lets you know
.....you are alive.
The perspiration cools you
.....as the breeze bathes you.
Fresh water
.....never tastes so good.

Each pleasure has its place.
But my body
.....shouts for joy
.....as I clip my shoes
.....into the pedals
.....and begin my jaunt
.....to V & M.

Comments: Some friends of mine swear that TV is a wasteland, sometimes with a bit of superior tone. But I unapologetically sometimes enjoy that wasteland just as I enjoy my experiences in nature.

Pictures below were part of the Prague Issue of the Newsletter

Where's Jim?

Seated at V & M,
.... regulars everywhere,
.... I wait.
Did Jim remember?
We really hadn’t confirmed.

A line of youngsters
.... pass by,
.... all with ties
.... and freshly starched shirts.
One lone, smartly dressed female
.... is among the testosterone.
All eyes follow the youthful procession.
What is this
.... at laid-back V & M?

Where’s Jim?
So much of life
.... is about waiting,
.... whether patient or impatient.
Still no Jim

Wait! Is that him?

Comments: A rather lighthearted poem about my friend Jim with whom I have breakfast weekly. He didn't show due to a mix up in dates. I found out later that the young people in dress attire were on their way to a funeral for one of their friends. The poem also speaks about how much of life involves waiting.


Synthesize

I am seated in the familiarity of V & M
.... with its normal morning crowd.
The chatter and banter
.... common to my ears.
Ann, seeing my arrival,

.... brings my teapot of piping hot water.
Though Europe is thousands
.... of miles away,
.... the memories remain
.... ever present.
Much also can be said
.... for returning home,
.... the sameness,
.... the comfort–the common.

Yet, much can be said
.... for the ambiance of Europe–
.... its cafes with tables that bear no timecard;
.... where rich, dark coffee flows
.... and memorable Danish
.... are served with real whipped cream.
A place whose history dwarfs
.... our young country’s.
.... where strange words
.... roll effortlessly off foreign tongues.
Much can be said
.... for the uncommon
.... the differences
.... new situations that stretch the personage.

The familiar and the unfamiliar
.... serve as the catalyst
.... that synthesize who we become;
.... each complements the other.

Comments: Every time I travel to foreign lands I realize that despite the differences in cultures we are one human family who had better learn to live together on this planet or we will cease to live.

Long climb up to the Prague Castle grounds
One of the stained glass windows in St. Vitus Cathedral (Prague)
Gardens as part of the Castle area (Prague)
Grand Circle Travel, the tour company we used, encourages
interaction with the people of the country. This is a picture
taken during a home visit in the Czech Republic.

V & M Breakfast

Last parking space,
    thankfully a short walk
    on this dreary, rainy day.
Wow! My favorite writing booth
    is open.
Upon seating
    hot tea arrives
    to take the chill from the bone–
    then the eggs and rye toast
    to fill the tummy.
Next on to tai chi
    to nourish my soul.

Comment: The move to Utah will take me away from this favorite local restaurant where I spent many a time enjoying quiet times along with seeing familiar faces. Sometimes a friend joined me. The poem speaks to my longtime tradition of eating there each Thursday morning on the way to tai chi. Many a poem was also started or finished in that booth.

 

Return

Two eggs over well
    crispy hash browns
    rye toast and tea
Back to V & M
    for a brief visit.
Then off to tai chi
Familiarity
    so comforting

Comment: In late October I flew back to Ohio to visit my mother and sister Pat and to take care of some business. I stopped at my favorite, V & M Restaurant for my traditional breakfast. Greeted other diner friends and basked in the familiarity.

Life (Peace) Historical And more Graduate Observation Reminiscence