Right behind the turning green car on the far side of the street is Dave's Cafe, written about below in 2002. The photo was taken earier this month out the window of the new headquarters of the Waukesha Sewer Raccoon District, 308 South Street 311, Waukesha WI 53186. After Apr. 15th. In the historic downtown Putney building we will be holding forth in a loft, only one block from the central subterranean meeting hall of the Waukesha sewer raccoons. When the raccoons go into the sewer grate at Colton and Arcadian, most likely they are headed down here to their central chamber underneath the Old Post Office. Running errands for the blind old king raccoon seated in his royal throne, by torch light that HE cannot see.Wite er wheet er wrie?
Is one of the few questions put to you
When you order breakfast at Dave’s Café
In downtown Waukesha
The harried waitress
Is cordial but hurried
Taking care of the usual crowd,
The hungry needs of her flock,
The downtown denizens and the poor pensioners
In for a breakfast at a buck ninety-nine
Two eggs, American fries,
Choice of toast:
Wite er weet er wrie?
The halt and the lame and the unlamented
Forgotten,
Personae non grata of the real estate
And business prospectors
Dipping pans they wish were unclogged
By these customers of Dave’s
Panning the newly returned two-way
And ungazebo-ed stream
Of “unfettered” traffic;
No more park benches there for the dirt-bags
As they were called
By a Five Point entrepreneur
Anxious to be rid of them
And there’s not such a great need now
With the gazebo moved down by the bank
For the cops to stake out that central intersection
Where the fake springhouse water bubbled
And the bags hung out spitting their backy juice
Or drooling uncontrollable saliva down their chins;
Not the ambience wanted if ever there will be
Businesses in the old commercial sector
Besides incense stands, tattoo parlors
And joke shops offering fake pools of vomit
Or shit; Swank! SWANK is what is dreamed of;
But Dave’s Café, folks,
Get in on a little secret:
Go on in there anyway,
Because for the money or higher,
The food is the best breakfast in town,
And because those clients of Dave’s
Are more real
Than the names showing up in Upper Case,
Tuxedo-ed on Lorayne Ritt’s society page,
And another good thing:
They aren’t going to be relocated. No;
That controversial sector is their home,
With or without a gazebo to loiter in,
And Dave’s will always
- or for a long time, one hopes -
serve them their
Wite er weet er wrie.
@$1.99
“With the poor people of the world I want to share my fate.
The stream of the mountain pleases me more than the sea.”
JOSE MARTI
[David Dix 12-16-2002]
