Patrons Only

When William with the crooked smile
   And Bobby with the scar
Sat dreaming, talking, making plans
   And laughing at the bar

They never thought there'd be a time
   When they'd return to sit
Morosely looking at the clock
   And have no joy in it,

True regulars, the both of them –
   They never miss a day
To stare into their glass and frown
   And drink the night away

In bitter silence, on their minds
  Those days so long ago
Before they went out on the road
   Past worlds they didn't know

To find that life was much too harsh,
   Their luckless road too far,
And hard enough to teach the risks
   Of following your star;

The time when they were young, and all
   The world seemed wide and fair
And they were certain they would go
   And find the rainbow there –

When William with the crooked smile
   And Bobby with the scar
Sat dreaming, talking, making plans
   And laughing at the bar.