The Fortune Cookie Poem by Hal Caufield

I was invited for Chinese food
At my sister’s house, and gladly accepted.
They are joyful lot.
And I thought the company
Might do me good in these days
Of hope and wait.

With the six or seven of us
Around a bountiful Szechuan feast,
Only one Fortune Cookie
Made it to the table,
And landed squarely in front of me.

Now, I usually do not open
Fortune Cookies or take the only one.
But as I do so often with the 8 Ball
I reached for it and thought of her.

When I cracked it open,
My sister saw my astonished face.
Gingerly taking the fortune from
My hand, she whispered,
“Whoever you were thinking of,
This is a sure sign of things to come.”

And as she went to get cookies for everyone,
A smile finally crossed my face.
I have added one more to my beliefs.
I now believe
In signs, gypsies and Fortune Cookies
With God’s hope at every door.