Saturday, August 2, 2014

James Babbs- Three Poems

Two Dollars

at the door they charge us
two dollars for an empty cup
but all the girls get in for free
we get to drink
all the beer we want
the music heavy with bass
pounding against the walls
spilling into the hallway
where people stand and wait
the living room furniture gone
the keg in the kitchen
in a garbage can
packed full of ice
it’s after ten o’clock
but we just got here
another saturday night



Stupid Jokes

in those last days
when he got to really drinking
I was the one he’d always call
it didn’t matter to him
what time of day it was
screaming at me to come over
until I told him I would
he liked drinking whiskey and
cheap beer from bottles and
I’d sit there with him
sometimes for hours and
he’d always tell me
the same stupid jokes
leaning forward before asking me
why couldn’t the pony talk
drinking some whiskey
while he waited for my answer
I’d say
I don’t know
why couldn’t the pony talk
and he’d tell me
because
he was a little horse
and then he’d laugh like crazy
and we’d drink a little more
then he’d say
what’s purple and goes
slam slam
slam slam
and I’d say
I don’t know
tell me what’s purple and
goes slam slam
slam slam
and I’d see him grin
before he said
a four-door grape
and his laugh would come
bursting out again
and I’d get us another beer
come and sit back down
then he’d say
you know why
the skeleton couldn’t cross the road
and I’d answer him
no
I don’t know
why couldn’t the skeleton
cross the road
and he’d take another drink
before giving me the punch line
because
he didn’t have the guts
his laugh again and
the jokes were so stupid
I couldn’t help but laugh too
and I think about them
all those awful jokes
and how he just went
on and on
he must have known
hundreds of them
sitting there for hours
the sound of his laugh
and god
I really miss him
I miss him so fucking much



Standing There

how long do you have to be dead
before I stop calling it your room
glancing up at the window again
and after all these years have passed
still hoping to see you
standing there
with that grin on your face
waving back at me
like nothing ever happened and
maybe it was all just dreaming
and I haven’t yet awakened
maybe it’s almost morning and
the sun’s slowly rising up
I’m turning in my sleep and
you’re climbing into the car
waiting for the engine to warm up
before heading back home

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