midtown barflies

Paudy the irish drunk
hides whisky in his
coffee cup
serving liquor to us
while he tries to find
a bride

Hector the swarthy Dominican chef
orders "bre-fast"
and after we all down the royal crown
we wonder at his
beauty

The regulars, a cokehead, a drunk
and me
what was I exactly?

John, the addict
dancing with his
tall skinny body
to the tune of brickhouse
wondering how he danced
his life away

Raymond, the drunk we call froggy
in love with his best friend
and she can't see beyond
the booze herself
two broken ankles
and they hobble
back to the bar anyway

George, engaging
well, he asked me to marry him
anyway
why did I ever think to say yes?
of course I broke his heart
I had bigger plans
than a small town man
drowning

There were so many
in and out
those fingersmudged doors
on a prime street in Manhattan
I was just a girl
and one of the many
until
I traded my drinks
for smack

Thinking I was fine
having a party, a life
with these drunks
these three years
losing party pals
in a sniff
of indifference