OLYMPIAN:

She walks like a swimmer dressed for the catwalk waiting on tables to pay for summer, in a chi-chi cafe overlooking the city lights for the men & their delicate coffees. She walks like she’s approaching the high board, the horse, the rings, the mat, with stiffened limbs like a weight lifter, an Olympian  unaccustomed to moving for long without tumbling or diving, in constant readiness to perform fantastic physical acts. Unlike the others with their languid motions & easy manor she’s  a seasonal waitress in the body of a gymnast, a disciplined athlete working her passage behind a mask of superior detachment as she moves between tables with perfect balance, melting into warm smiles as she approaches, asking softly,
“Water?”

(K)