poem of the day 05.18.16

a violent end

i am

the first drunk of the day

here to get my vodka

i don’t even notice

that the lights in this place

are only half on

and he’s behind the counter yes

but still clad in his coat and hat

with his earbuds in, listening to some club shit

i check my watch

it’s twenty past the hour

that i know this place opens on sundays

though most days

they don’t open on time

still, the door was unlocked

but when i get to him with my bottle

he rips the earbuds out of his ears

and glares at me like i’d ruined his afternoon

glares at the cheap vodka

i’ll use to wipe away my own week

in the service of others

while i glare at his earbuds and the bad music

coming from them

he slams the bottle down on the counter

a little unnecessary

but i guess

we’re both lucky

it was made out of plastic

he grabs one of those narrow black liquor bags

with so much force

that the whole rack comes falling down

but he just lets them lay there on the floor

slams the vodka bottle

into the last bag standing

rips the money from my hand

and i’m so surprised he doesn’t

throw the change back at me

while i collect the booze

and think that there are liquor stores

littered all over this neighborhood

better make like ponce deleon

and start exploring

because me and this cat are done

i stare back into his ugly eyes

one last time

shake the vodka bottle and say, farewell

make it out alive

back into the cold gray street

thinking i hope he has a line of thirsty drunks

outside his door all day

and that the guy working at the pizza shop

down the block

was able to make it in on time

and is a little nicer

because he has the best potato and eggs hero

on the block

i’m hungry as all hell

and  really hate long and lonely

goodbyes