Barfly Poem by Nicolette Turner

Can you see that old man
The one at the bar
With the bleary eyes
And the whiskey grin
No teeth in his mouth
And beer on his chin

I knew that old man
When he stood so tall
Vision of hope
And a smile so wide
Shoulders of steel
And a steady hand
The biggest heart
In any man's land

And I watched as life
Just broke his heart
Snapped it in half
Like a brittle twig
Pounded his dreams
With a heavy stone
Scorned his hope
And left him alone

Left him alone
With a glass in his hand
The shell of a hero
Against the bar
Oops, he’s fallen
He’s on the floor
But I know he’ll get up
For one sip more

For right at the end
Of the endless glass
Is the last dropp of hope
He’ll ever see
And if it kills him
Which he knows it will
He feels just for once
He’ll have had his fill

He isn’t a victim
Just a man from the crowd
Who isn’t immune
To life's diseases
The gentler the souls
The more intense
Open wide
With no defence

You see that old man
The one at the bar
His glass is near empty
He’ll be going soon
But he doesn’t mind
He told me so
They’ve called last orders
It’s time to go