poem of the day 06.15.10

little girl pounding
on the drunk and hungry doorway
to my soul

our favorite burmese place
in the city has been closed
for i don’t know how long
we find this out after getting drunk
in the bar around the corner
we are sad because we’ve shared many
a monumental meal at that place
we take the train back across
the east river
feeling there’s nothing to do
but head toward home
we find an italian restaurant on
3rd avenue
we both have to piss
but i’m a gentlemen so i let
my wife go first while the homosexual waiter
seats us
and asks me about the usa versus england
soccer game
i tell him i always root against america
especially when we’re on the world’s stage
he frowns at me
but then my wife comes back
and i head to the pisser
which is locked
i shake the door, pound, and curse
i want whomever is in there to know
what they’ve done to me
i go into the women’s room
i have no choice
it is a single bathroom, so i’m not
disturbing the natural course of existence
i open up and begin to piss
it feels good
hours of beer running away
like bad memories
when there is a pounding on the door
someone shaking the handle
i think it’s the prick from the men’s room
getting me back
so i start shouting drunken threats as i piss
the piss is taking a long time
but i think i’m going to knock this man out
when i get out of the bathroom
he doesn’t say anything
to my threats
just keeps pounding at the door
shaking the handle
i finish and don’t even wash my hands
i go to the door
unlock it and fling it open
there’s no one there but a little blonde girl
in a brown dress
her eyes like big black diamonds
she looks up at me and smiles
i step aside and she goes into the bathroom
locking the door behind her
you just got lucky kid, i shout
because i have nothing constructive to do
with my anger
when i get back to our seat
my wife is there with the waiter
he still wants to talk soccer
but i feel drunk and hungry and done with the day
i say to my wife
how about some pinot noir
she seems to agree with that
so we order a bottle
and the waiter goes and bothers
somebody else.