Alan Catlin

Burned Up


He came in

with the load on

Was real smug

and snotty too

as if a three

piece suit and

a five dollar

bill could take

care of everything

Ordered a

beer as if

he thought he

might drink it

Lit up a

cigarette

Took one short

drag and

slumped over

on the bar

I just let

him fade away

watched him

drift off into

dreams

Dropped his beer

into the basket

Washed his glass

out in the sink

My waitress asked me,

"Are you going

to let him sleep

like that?

Aren't you going

to wake him up?"

I just looked

at her as if

she were crazy

They way that

cigarette was

burning he'd

be up and out

soon enough

on his own



The Loved One


He was

showing off

his swing

to a

complete

stranger

by the

bar

Talked

as if

golf

was what

made the

world go

round

His wife

was saying

to me,

"There's nothing

wrong with him

He's always

like that

He'd play

golf in a

thunderstorm"

She was

probably

wishing that

he would too



True Confessions Time After Last Call


"My Mom. she's like 45

and my dad is like 47.

He's pretty cool. He used to say to say

stuff like, 'I smoked lots of dope

when I was a kid.  Now, I'm into

making money.'

Crazy, you know he's like asleep

at 10 o'clock and Mom, well,

she's out later than I am when I'm home.

For weeks after her latest escpade

we're getting phone calls from

young guys wanting to pick her up.

I don't know what to think.

It's strange realizing your old man

pounds down a couple of cocktails

when he gets home and then packs

it in big time in front of the tube

and Mom, well, Mom is on the road

after that and no one knows the difference.

I'm a senior in college and it's tough

to accept that your mother sleeps around

like a whore."


[Back]



Page2   Links   Bios   Reviews   TS Publishing   Guidelines