A Run Ashore

Listen, it was like this...

In some bars
there’s a knife-fight fragrance
of metal and blood
and ammoniacal fear:
you can be in Lagos,
Lampedusa or little Longyan.
Crack open a bottle
of icy, expensive, imported beer,
throw the lemon to the floor
amongst the cigarettes
and losing lottery tickets.
Wink at the hostesses,
stare down the pimps,
back to the open door
your eyes on the jacques.

In some bars,
there’s a knife-fight fragrance,
but sometimes you can
bring it with you.

Reviews

[Roland Petrov]

You never fail to amaze. A "knife-fight fragrance". Personally, I prefer bars where you would never dream of throwing the lemon slice on the floor, but I've never been in the navy either.

[Nomenklatura]

Me neither, but I was in the Air Force and met the Navy in their natural habitat many times...