The Old Man and the Ribs

There I was there drinking a beer by myself as usual.
This old ,old, old man slowly walked over to the bar.
He took off his cowboy hat, his skin was so white, like parchment-
And looked over the menu for like an hour slowly drinking a whiskey water.
I never took my eyes off him.
His skin was stretched over his old brittle bones-
He must have been 140 years old.
Eventually he ordered a very specific meal from the menu.
Barbecue ribs were placed in front of him-
And I watched intently as he devoured the entire rack, small bite by small bite.
Snapped every bone clean of meat-
With his tiny, efficient teeth.
But during the middle of the meal, he must have noticed me watching him-
Yet I couldn't take my gaze off of him
So the last two bones, we just stared at each other as he slowly finished his ribs-
And I could only think that he was eating human bones-
And regenerating his life.
I think he gave me a slow smile while eating the last bone-
And licked his lips.
~J.K.