Too Long in a Barroom by Ruth E. Walker'

Wine smacks my lips and roomsmoke
licks my heels 
whispers through my hair and
turns the room blue in a wash
soaked, I spin to catch sight 
of the ocean
pretending it doesn't care

beyond window panes
cartwheeling gulls– see them – tease
waves and wind
defying the expected
with centuries of catch me loser
and the promise of dumpsters

I have no idea why this has meaning

scratched in a bathroom stall
that made its way to me
names, numbers and promises
like the birds – see them arrive
through the haze
of expectations denied

Ruth E. Walker's poetry and fiction have appeared in Canadian, U.S. and U.K. journals, magazines and anthologies. A partner in Writescape, she edits fiction and memoir, and develops and facilitates writing workshops and retreats in southern Ontario.