Dad called ahead.

He asked for Rosetta.

He had to be sure the sign was on.

“Rutabaga, rutabaga…,”

he said, “make sure they’re mashed.”

Had to be sure they weren’t all gone.

On cold winter days

he’d hanker for their Homestyle Turkey,

or their Roast Duck from the farm.

And in the summer,

it was the soft-shell crab —

he swore they were from Braun.

I can still hear him say.

“You got that Lemon Mur-ang-eh?

That’s the desert he’d count on!

Dad has since passed.

And although the Snack Bar still stands,

for me, it’s a memory of a time —  bygone.

Now,  when I pass —  on my way to the ferry,

whether it be dusk or dawn, I search for the comfort

of the Snack Bar sign, which shines — in bright neon.

Paula Curci is the Nassau County Poet Laureate Emerita, for the tenure years of 2022 to 2024. She is a founding member of Poetry! It’s a “SHORE” Thing! Open mic, at the Long Beach New York Public Library. Paula is the brainchild of the Micro-Memoir project; an anthology of mini-recollections written by members of Nassau County’s south shore poetry community.