A Grainy Photograph of a Side of Beef on a Hook

I've had this rotten sinus headache
Since I left Australia. Maybe I just
Don't like it here.

I pull into a parking spot. It's dusk,
And in the waning light, I see the
Entrance to the bar. My best friends
From work are here. The din suggests
They're having fun. That's good.
They wait. I'd said I'd come.
Tomorrow is my birthday, and
They promised they would buy
Me drinks, but I don't want to leave
My car. The price in stupid jokes
And tasteless comments, idle
Bragging, is too high for unpaid
Rounds of drinks. I start my car
And drive away. I'd rather be
Alone.

There's little in the valley down below
That I can see at night, the lights above
The highway exit, headlights on the cars
And trucks which travel east toward
Omaha. Why come now? It's Monday
Night. These people should have stayed
In Wahoo. They should be in bed.

I've had my solitary drinks, and I have
Had my precious silence. My head
Starts to ache again. I, too, should be
In bed.



Poetry by Lawrence Beck The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 69 times
Written on 2016-09-13 at 00:20

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