Cigarettes and Loose Change

A Poem by Edmund Siejka

by Edmund Siejka

On a late afternoon

There was a stillness

When nothing seemed to move.

Listless and sort of down

I knew a bar

Squeezed in between non- descript buildings.

Hesitating I stood outside

Searching the gray lifeless windows

When the bar’s neon light

Beckoned.

Behind the dark oak bar

She was taking inventory

Fingers lightly

Touching each bottle of

Bottom shelf

Bar brands

Behind me on the walls

Were photos of the old time fighters

From the time before I was born

I ordered the house Bourbon

Grimacing, I felt it burning down.

Then I asked

Last time we spoke

You said you might be heading out?

I was she said

Still leaving?

She answered,

Maybe.

It could be any day now.

I quietly sipped my drink

At the far end of the bar

Shadows moved

Narrow eyes

Pretending not to see.

Leaning forward she whispered

The owner lets them

Hang out in the back

Smoking cigarettes and carrying on

They’re OK

But take my advice

Don’t leave any loose change on the bar.

Staring into her eyes

I found himself

Wishing that I knew more of her

There was something about the way she moved

That made me forget where I was.

Soon, I only had

A few crumpled bills

Left in my jeans

Leaving a tip on the bar

I pushed my stool back

The scraping sound

Made her turn around

Her hazel eyes meeting mine

And for a solitary heart beat

We were one.

Suddenly there was the sound of broken glass

Angrily she went to the back

Alone, I knew the moment

We had

Was somehow taken away from me

And I didn’t have the courage

To convince a pretty girl to stay.

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Reviews

Kelly Scheppers

"There was something about the way she moved
That made me forget where I was."

Oh the pain men endure in their attempt to pursue a woman. Here's to that solitary moment when you caught her gaze, long enough to capture the lure of her hazel eyes. I have a gut feeling she felt the magnetism, too. Nice to meet you, Edmund. Good writing! Fabulous title!