Poem of the Day 01.25.23

poolsharks

when i was young
and bored

i used to hang around
with steve and calvin

they liked to go to expensive clubs
drink overpriced beer
and watch dull women in fancy clothes
dance with dull men
in the neon and mist

they talked about all of the pussy they were going to get

and nobody ever went home with anyone

sometimes
i could get them to go to a bar

but only if the place had a pool table

steve and calvin
would play pool
while i sat there and smoked
and drank and watched the people
or the blank walls

trying my best to understand people
who played pool and went to expensive clubs

people who always needed to be entertained

steve and calvin
were loud when they played pool

they fought over shots
they fought over solids and stripes

they hit their balls off the pool table
and knocked over people’s drinks

they threatened to hit each other with their pool sticks

and made general spectacles
of themselves when they played

you could tell that the bar people
didn’t like them very much

when they were done
steve and calvin would sit with me at the table

drink their, warm waiting beers
looking sullen and dumb

they talked about how boring the bar was
how ugly the women were

then the next week
we'd go back to the expensive clubs
drink overpriced beer
and watch dull women in fancy clothes
dance with dull men
in the neon and mist

they talked about all of the pussy they were going to get

and nobody ever went home with anyone
on those nights as well.