Tonight is the last time
he’s going to give himself this kind of a break.

He’s about an hour away
from becoming the kind of guy
who keeps handguns in the fridge and drinks so much
coffee that the cemetery two blocks down
complains on the late-night call in show.

Since ten o’clock he’s been walking from one end
of the throng to the other and stopping only to get
another drink from the kitchen. Whoever owns the house
went to a lot of trouble to make sure every bad idea
was on the counter with plenty of ice
and the right kind of soda.

His wallet has been stolen and returned to him
nine times.

Claw marks from as many as six different
super heroes who saw the light after spending
years as the best darn head cheerleader in town.

One more bad night. One more morning
at a job he doesn’t remember how to do.

One more ghostly secretary type with tattoos
and a long career in show business is all it’s gonna take.
That or another game of strip poker where nobody wins
and everybody wants to pretend they’re a cannibal
after twenty hands and just as many uncoordinated shots.

After that there’s really nothing left to do
but make plans for a long Christmas holiday
with the photographs the previous tenants left behind.

He doesn’t deal in lots of quick, little prayers,
and he’s not about to get caught on a cell phone camera
trying to talk himself into going home.

If things get out of hand,
if too many people are trying to cheat on their partners
by standing very still in the middle of the room,
then he’ll make plans to knock away the “Do Not Enter” sign
and go upstairs.

It’s only a mile from one end of the hallway
to the other, and any memories in the wallpaper
and broken television sets will probably not
belong to him.

Hopefully. Amen. Hopefully. Amen.

Anyone else who’s dumb enough to want to be alone
on the busiest year of the night will have better things to do
than make small talk or recognize each other
from a different time, place and weight class.

He’s headed for the balcony outside
where it’s possible know exactly when the nearby ocean
is going to finally get interested in throwing its height around.

He waits for anything to start happening
and busts a half-hearted dance move here and there
to pass the time and the tedium of staying awake.

10/05/2010

Posted on 10/05/2010
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