Essay, or Poem, for a November Day

Leaves of locust tree and Japanese maple lie mingled on the ground.

The gold and red leaves on green grass glow bright in the crisp cold air. I feel stunned by the intensity of their colors - it contrasts with my stomach, which is dull and full from lunch of chicken, potatoes and slugs of chocolate milk. I almost reel with the scene flooding into my eyes.

I'm ashamed to say I've always disliked the weedy locust. Now on the ground, the spider-like branches make an intricate pattern. Looking up at the tree's sprawl, I wonder if I may have it cut down next year.

No leaf blowers for me. I want the exercise of wielding the rake. No mosquito whine of motor spoils the air, and gentle quiet goes unheard. I refuse to rake up the carpet of scarlet Japanese maple leaves - they are too glorious.

Holy Earth scattered with the tree's ash; old fire of life.

Couples whisper like young lovers strolling down my street. They pay homage to the town's best trees, which rule in my yard. Walkers look happy, like dating courtiers.

"What kind of tree is that?", a voice calls out behind me. I reply without looking up. "Magnolia." She's my prize, and beneath her is where I'm raking. Then I look up and see a woman pointing. "Oh, that one. Japanese maple." Luminous red, alas, yes, this is her season. Magnolia, magnificent and pungent in the spring when she displays her tulip-orchid flowers, she now only drops sad brown leaves. I love her no less. But Asia is the beauty contest winner of autumn, and commands all the attention: it is her turn now, her season.

King Gyros does Ribs

I'm sorry I can't give you a better picture of this meal. I admit I ate much of it before I made it home to take a photograph. It was excellent! The half rack BBQ rib plate came with fries and slaw, and everything was really delicious. I find King Gyros' food to be consistently good.

I can't find a story on the internet to tell me the history of King Gyros in Fort Wayne. I do see locations in different places in Indiana, such as Bloomington, Indy, Marion, LaPorte, and Valparaiso. There also seem to be locations in Chicago and Ohio. Whether they are the same group of restaurants I can't tell, but I will vouch for the food at the locations in Fort Wayne.

For the most part, the atmosphere in the Fort Wayne restaurants is pretty plain. They don't seem to invest a lot of money in fancy decorating, so don't eat there if that is important to you. The Greek gyros sandwich itself is excellent. (Remember, don't make a hard 'G' sound when pronouncing this word if you want do so correctly). Served on pita with onion, tomato, sour cream sauce and feta cheese, it is the traditional gyros. The meat is tender and slightly spicy, the sauce and bread are cool and creamy. It's just how you would want it to be.

The ribs are great too. The sauce is slight sweet and tangy: plenty of it. It's not too dark and heavy. The meat is nice and done, not too dry, and comes easily off the bone. Owners and workers are generally nice and conversational; many seem very loyal and have worked in the business for years.

There is much of the traditional fare of this type of restaurant on the menu. I'm talking about varieties of hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, burgers and a variety of fried fish. The location on Jefferson Boulevard, across from Parkview Field, lists ocean perch, Alaskan whiting, shrimp and catfish fillets among its fish dishes. There are also quarter and half cuts of chicken, both BBQ and Greek style.

You can order Greek salads and chicken Caesar salads. I'm glad to see they offer traditional Baklava, the honeyed layered pastry, and also a plain or chocolate chip cheesecake - something I have never tried. I'd be curious to know how far away from Indiana I could find a similar King Gyros. Maybe there are locations all over the USA. Regardless, I'm glad they are here in Fort Wayne and northern Indiana, so I can go back and see the large meat composite being sliced on the rotisserie and sample some sweet Baklava.