women in bars by Larry Duncan

i don’t do them any favors
i’m only there on the weekdays
when it’s light
and anyone with half a chance is still at work.
but I have a weight that arches my shoulders
and a rail thinness that cuts a nice angle
and they seem to like me
because I’m there
and they’re old or tired
or broken or insane
and I have a habit of smiling
in a way that is old or tired
or broken or insane
so I buy them drinks when I can
and they buy me drinks when they can
and sometimes we lean into one another
touching shoulders when a certain song comes on the jukebox
because it’s still so early
and there are still so many hours
left alone in the day

2 comments:

Billy Joe said...

this is a terrific poem

one of the best I've read lately

opiumpoetry said...

this one is really great, man.

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Black-Listed Magazine is an online literary magazine. We publish on a rolling basis: weekly, daily, sometimes hourly. Send submissions here: blacklistedmagazine@hotmail.com