Double Whopper

Double Whopper 1961 (El Paso, Texas)

June 23

Free verse

Double whopper, no mayo, no ketchup.
Heavy mustard, heavy pickle, no fries.
(I'm not that bad)

Two or three times a week, at least, I eat this meal.
Fat, decrepit, half blind, cane in hand.
They see me coming, it's damn near done.
No words. Ring it up. Pay.
Easy.

Three decades now, I make journey to this king.
Only occasionally before, now much more often.
It's close, it's convenient.
(They don't let me drive anymore).

Yeah.

Free refills, you know.
I sit.
And read.
Sometimes.
I write.

His majesty is always there for me.
But still.
Too bad, there's no Whataburger.

About this poem

These days, in my post stroke, post retirement life, I spend a lot of time just hanging out and reading at the local fast places food. This poem is about that.

Font size:

Collection PDF

Written on June 10, 2023

Submitted by jamesm.30593 on June 13, 2023

: 39 sec read
: 67 Views

Quick analysis:

Scheme	XXX XXAXB XAXC XXXXX BXC
Closest metre	Iambic trimeter
Characters	577
Words	126
Stanzas	5
Stanza Lengths	3, 5, 4, 5, 3

Full analysis for Double Whopper »

Double Whopper

I grew up in Texas. I'm a retired military musician and a stroke survivor. These days, I spend my time pursuing acting. more…

All Double Whopper poems | Double Whopper Books

0 fans

Discuss the poem Double Whopper with the community...

2 Comments

Notify me of new comments via email.

Jewoo525
This poem was a lovely break from my odyssey through the 150 entries of the month. It was short, simple, yet profound in a humourous kind of way. I knew you were from Texas just from the last line. My favorite English teacher was from Texas and he used to tell me about Whataburger being the "superior burger chain of America," and I would always retort by asking him "Why is it only in Texas then?" The frank refrains in-between the lines and the self-deprecating, yet, honest and humourous view of one's twilight years was what gave this poem a lot of its charm. I loved it.

I sincerely hope you continue competing in the coming months, I would love to see more of your poems. Keep writing! more »
LikeReply9 months ago
- jamesm.30593
  thank you so much!
  LikeReply9 months ago
Vixility
I loved this poem. The last line literally had me laugh out loud at work (don't tell my boss). If you haven't read "The Bowl of Ice Cream" by Laurel M. Lee (another poet in this contest), you should ... it's also well written and very humorous. more »
LikeReply 19 months ago
- jamesm.30593
  thank you! I'm happy you enjoyed it.
  LikeReply9 months ago

Translation

Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

Select another language:

Citation

Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Double Whopper" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/163599/double-whopper>.

Become a member!

Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

The Web's Largest Resource for

Poets, Poems & Poetry

A Member Of The STANDS4 Network

April 2024

Poetry Contest

Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.

Submissions due in...

days

hours

minutes

126 entries submitted — 24 remaining

Special Program

Earn Rewards!

Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

Our awesome collection of

Promoted Poems

Browse Poetry.com

#A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Quiz

Are you a poetry master?

Who wrote the poem "The Road Not Taken"?

A Walt Whitman

B Robert Frost

C Emily Dickinson

D Langston Hughes