The Barstool That Forgot My Name By Heather Kays

The barstool remembered me once—

how I spilled my secrets

and my cheap whiskey dreams

onto its cracked leather skin.

It held me up

when I couldn’t stand straight,

when the nights bled into mornings

and the air tasted like regret.

But time changed the place,

or maybe it changed me.

Now it’s just a seat—

cold, silent, and indifferent—

like the way you left

without so much as a goodbye.

I sat there tonight,

waiting for the ghost of my own voice

to call me back by name.

But the barstool stayed quiet,

like it never knew me at all.

Heather Kays is a St. Louis-based poet and author passionate about writing since age 7. Her memoir, Pieces of Us, dissects her mother’s struggles with alcoholism and addiction. Her YA novel, Lila’s Letters, focuses on healing through unsent letters. She runs The Alchemists, an online writing group, and enjoys discussing creativity and complex narratives.