henry and the prince’s bar
called “the room”
with guitars on the wall
a pic of three wild horses
behind the whisky bottles
chipped mirrors in the loo
and a plaque
against the back door:
“liquors talk to henry – for poker ask the prince”
broken sticks and bottles at the pool table
two dudes start a fight over a tight game
teeth and blood over the green velvet
henry shoots a toy gun in the air
the prince shouts “a round for everyone”
the fight stops
every biker, brawler, loner,
gambler, pusher, hooker
knows this night will soon be gone
blue scent of cheap cigars
blues songs from the jukebox
smoother than a double jack
rubbing these thickened souls
far
towards the mounting day
a baby sun peeps through windows’ cracks
where dust and smoke dance cheek to cheek
to a tired wind
i stand at the edge of images
silent like everyone else
in this putrid heaven
gaze at evanescent details
too perfect to be evoked
i have known this absence before
one hour in this school
beats a harvard phd
sipping heavy stuff
i grab another story
before the break of dawn
Pretoria, 16/11/2013