Forty-Two Blocks
(part I)

I hate to
see them come in,
shaking—
not from the cold.

Earlier,
credit needed for a
beer.

Credit Denied.

This time
it was a
beer, AND, a pint;
no, wait….
upgrade to a
5th—Fifth.
Tomorrow’s Sunday,
and no liquor till noon.

Bill totaled
$9.50;

Two crumpled 5’s,
from a shaking hand,
was handed over.
I grabbed her wrist,
to steady her hand
& placed two,
shiny, 25 cent pieces,
to her palm.

hair frazzled,
skin wrinkled,
smile—
missing a tooth.
usually asking for
credit, usually
asking for a bottle,
always gives a smile,
always says thank-you.

I hate to see them coming….

The only thing
higher than the prices,
are our customers.
Used to be amazed,
when we’d go through
2 boxes of
50 single cigars,
@ $0.85-a-pop,
in a 8 hour shift.
…..Now its just:
it is what it is.
Have yet to see
blunt guts, blunt guts, blunt
guts,
@ the end of the shift,
@ the end of the night,
right in the parking lot.

Give Thanks??

I hate to see them coming…..

Burst through
the door with
so much vulgarity
spewing through their mouth,
(you would of thought it was it was maximum security)
loud, uncouth—
“Didn’t Mama give you
ANY ‘home-trainin’?”—
……”oh, darn, sorry,
mama got pregnant @ 14,
& grandman threw both ya’ll out.
oh, so there was no house, there was
no trainin’…..”

Hate to see them coming….
but come I must for them.

There is always laughter,
many times love,
and if you catch it,
(on the right day)
respect.
For a fallen heart,
worn on a sleeve,
kind words are there to
pick it up.

So I come, when they come…….

And faces are familiar
w/habits
of purchased items:

Hat to the back,
white trimmed beard
glides through the doo’
showing two fingers—
I grab two shots, and
he glides back
to grab a deuce…..

where faces are familiar
w/habits of
purchased items:

Damn near closin’,
dammit, he just made it;
wife done pissed him off, and
off he go with the debit card.
To hell with this
no cheap cigarettes today
give me the Newports, fuck her.
Deep voice grey hair;
fuck her, not you bruh, not you—
just her.

I hate to see them
coming,
shaking,
and not from the cold

Ó 2008 Clarence Barbee