Alan Catlin- Three Poems

Last Cigarette

It wasn't like him

to panic, he'd done

a front line tour of

combat duty in

the NAM so when

any serious shit came

down he just took it

in stride including all

the heart attack

symptoms, said to himself,

"Remain calm, your

having the Big One.

Get someone to drive

you over to ER, no

sweat, just hit automatic

dial and get moving."

but no one's home

he can call and he'll be

damned if he's calling

an ambulance to travel

three blocks, "You know

what one of those suckers

cost? not thinking at

the time, "What difference

would it make if he were

dead, how much will that cost?"

though it did occur, later,

when they started asking

questions like, "What did

you do after no one

answered your calls?"

"Well, hell, I lit a cigarette,

took a deep drag to settle

my nerves and started

looking for my car keys

so I could drive myself

over here." Which wasn't

a fatal move, they said but

couldn't figure out right

away exactly why not.

New Beats Make       

the scene, no longer bar hopping

low rent basement dives

hooked up to serve wine

& beer, converted from deli

to candles in a Chianti bottles

dark dive,  unheated in winter,

no AC in summer just open windows,

overhead fans, enough for these

MFA program grads slumming,

clubbing, downing designer beers

& faux drinks, taste testing the

white wines and the blush,

aperitif  experts, put it on the card,

"Do you mind not smoking?

It hurts my eyes.

Besides its the Law now, not to.

Let's do a non-metrical

line instead."

New Beats Face

many hardships

in this life:

a tough round

of golf,

having to buy

a round of

drinks for

everyone in

the clubhouse

after hole

in one,

not being

able to write

any of the drinks

off as a legit

business

expense.

Took a sick

day to squeeze

in 18.

Have to lay

out mucho

dinero to make

DWI go away

after the hole

in one party.

Not remembering

anything after

the third martini

shaken not

stirred asshole.

The only written

work from whole

experience on

credit card slips

club vouchers

check registers