Should Have Taken
Stay down! Stay
down!
they screamed
and it was advice I should
have taken:
I got to my feet and was
knocked back on my ass
with a busted nose: I
stayed down and was
helped to my feet,
someone gave me a
handkerchief to soak
up the blood:
the crowd dispersed,
the show was over,
I went back into the
bar: the guy who had
just beaten me,
nodded at a double
brandy upon the table
he was sat at: I lifted
the glass and drained
in one, speckles of
liquid red trickling
down the insides of
the glass from my nose.
The Rescue
She came onto me like
something possessed,
started to tell me
howd
shed felt about me
for
some-time, she was
slobbering drunk,
slurring, swaying,
sexy:
beyond her, I saw my
wife approaching:
Youd better go
now
I said
Thats right,
you
better fuck-off now!
my wife said,
stepping in front
of me, going toe
to toe with the
admirer, who
turned and staggered
away:
One of your old
whores? my wife
asked:
Probably I
said.
Waking Up One Time
After waking up from a four
day binge of alcohol, hash,
pills, I found myself lying
next to a woman I
didnt
love, though she said that
she loved me,
the woman I loved had
marched out of my world:
beside the bed, the floor
was cluttered with empty
wine bottles, over-flowing
ashtrays, take-out- food
cartons, plates of
rotting food and the
interest of a large number
of flies:
I got up, vomited, smoked
a joint and phoned the
woman I loved and told
her what a pathetic
sorry-ass loser I was and
asked for her
forgiveness and that I
loved her and wanted to
be with her:
Thats nice to hear
but
dont ever fucking call
me
again she said
terminating
the call:
I opened a beer, it
wasnt
going to help but I
couldnt think of
anything
else to do:
I looked out across the
park, I drank from the
bottle waiting for the
woman I didnt love to
wake up so I could tell
her that I didnt love
her
and that she should
leave:
the day wasnt looking
good and when I looked
into a mirror, I saw that
neither was I,
I drank the beer,
opened another
and waited.
The Long Slug
His relief and excitement
were
one, as he embraced me,
urging me to sit back down
in
the public bus shelter after
I
had provoked and challenged
the asshole who thought he
was a tough guy and would
have for sure beaten my
ass:
I sat down, relaxed and
relieved:
the tough guy looked over
at me looking tough and I
couldnt resist and
winked
at him: he began
laughing and shaking his
head, he took a long slug
from the bottle and then
made a show of offering
it to me as the other bums
looked on at the young
new-comer treading on
their toes and drinking
their share.
No Fucking
He followed me into the
urinals
and stood behind me as I
pissed:
I hear you think
youre a
tough guy he said
Maybe youve heard
wrong
I said finishing up and
walking over to the wash
basins:
Just dont fuck with
me he
Said:
Im not going to
fuck with you,
but maybe, your girl I
told him:
Maybe youll
try he said
Yeah, I might do I
said
Maybe Ill fuck with
your girl
he said:
Okay, lets not do
any fucking
tonight I suggested:
he nodded,
No fucking he
said
No fucking I
said.