Wednesday, May 18, 2016

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


                                                

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