Can-alone-ee

Red walls and the smell of antipesto surrounded me
I watched as he ate his bread without even buttering it
I grabbed a carrot to nibble on

I wanted to pretend I wasn't there and just observe
but then it was only the two of us

He had the gnocchi with a side of sauteed mushrooms
"Are they sliced mushrooms?" he asked the waiter
What does that matter? I thought
But being culinarily ignorant I shrugged it off

My salad looked like a tasty meal...for a rabbit
Its presentation in a tiny mound on my plate screamed inadequacy

I need to prove I'm more than what you see

He offered me some of his mushrooms, I declined
I hate mushrooms
I offered him some rabbit food, he declined

Rejected and scorned

Conversation drew away from the food
I shared with him my familiarity of this special place
"They used to have a TV in the bathroom here"
"I can go forever without watching TV," he boasted,
"I only watch ESPN or the Food Network"

Both of us not wanting dessert
we politely we looked over the dessert menu
passing it back and forth considering the vast items listed
"Mmmm, they have cannelloni," he said
"Isn't that a wrap of some kind?" I asked
trying to get a mental picture of it
and only imaging a pasta shell stuffed with Ricotta cheese

"It's deep fried," he answered
I so didn't believe him
"No, isn't it the dessert that is wrapped in . . ."
I was groping for the word, "a crepe or something?"
"Nope, it's deep fried"

In bed that night I kept thinking about cannelloni
How wrong that there is a crunchy dessert with a name
that just rolls off the tongue
Can-alone-ee