Barroom Poet

[couchgrouch]

Barroom PoetI walked in that bar right after workwith aching bones and a sweat-soaked shirtsaw the barkeep and ol' Pedro with his broomI waved and then headed for the restroomI doubted I should waste my pay on alchoholtill I saw a smudged up rhyme on the wall"working men need more wine as they agecos time don't toil for minimum wage"if days have a meaninghe seemed to know itif he spent his time dreaminghe didn't show itbut life talked to men through the old Bic penof the barroom poetthe barkeep found rhymes on the walls n boothshe thought he knew who wrote those words of truthcos poor Larry always mumbled about fate and lifehe'd been a preacher till Winstons took his wifeonce the barkeep had Pedro scrub a new oak chairbut I slipped him ten to leave the proverb thereit read "some find heaven in roses ev'ry morn'but others can't see past a rose's thorn"yeah, if days have a meaninghe seemed to know itif he spent his time dreaminghe didn't show itbut life talked to men through the old Bic penof the barroom poetthe day Pedro passed there was no drinking, no jokesnobody smiled and even Larry lit a smokebut when it came time to sweep that quiet saloonthe barkeep found these words on that old pushbroom"the ground takes our dust n bones when we diein return it gives the mourners grapes n rye"an empty stool squeaked from old Pedro's ghostas we drank a free round and raised a toastto the barroom poetthe barroom poet...(c)2006 Robert George