Hard But Haggard

After Bukowski

Photo by Beth Macdonald on Unsplash

old at noon already
the lamps were left off.

i couldn’t bear the floor
so i just stayed
in bed

they told me
last night again that i needed to
shave.

i told them they could go shave whoever
they wanted after they fucked themselves.

there was a lot of spit
in the air as they left me alone again.

a woman tried to get past me
to go to the washroom.

i said, but this is where you
wanted to be, isn’t it?

she didn’t laugh. i don’t think i’m that
funny either,

well, maybe when
a whole half of a 2 six is gone in less than
an afternoon…

but i choked on my next sip
because she elbowed me opening the damn door.

probably

i thought that was on purpose
and i rubbed my chin deciding to shave later.

or tomorrow, or something.

J.D. Harms 2021