alone at the exchange,
the guy next to me exclaims
“i’m drunk!” and clenches his fist
i bump it thinking he’ll turn away and
leave me be, but i’m wrong, so very wrong
he attempts conversation,
asking prying questions
into what i do for a living,
if i enjoy the work
i answer nothing and
turn the questions
around on him
he grabs his cigarettes and keys,
slamming them into the bar
before handing the bartender
a credit card that is declined five times
“just pay up tomorrow” the bartender says
the drunk says nothing and stumbles away
a guy across the bar shouts
“i hope he’s not driving!”
i order another round
and think about
drying lakes
out west.
Tohm Bakelas is a social worker in a psychiatric hospital.
He was born in New Jersey, resides there, and will die there. His poems have
appeared in numerous journals, zines, and online publications. He has published
18 chapbooks and 2 collections of poetry. His forthcoming collection “The Ants
Crawl In Circles” will be published by Whiskey City Press in Summer 2022. He
runs Between Shadows Press.
https://tohmbakelaspoetry.wordpress.com
Instagram: @flexyourhead
