duncan by John Grochalski

duncan is running around the kettle bar 

with his sister olive

they are screaming and yelling 

while people are

starting in early on the day’s drunk

duncan is three and vacant

olive is pushing two at best

she has a set of pipes on her

that could raise the dead

there are no other children in the bar 

because it’s a bar

duncan’s old man is your garden variety domestic asshole

with his receding hairline and dad gut

hidden under a faded football jersey

he apologies to my wife and i

when duncan and olive smack into our stools

for the third time

but he doesn’t mean it

because his america counts more than mine

dad is enjoying his stolen afternoon beer

with his bros too much

to worry about duncan and olive 

killing other people’s time

he’s too caught up in the entitlement of being a parent 

to see his kids 

for the screaming creeps they are

because duncan and olive are so precious

their shit doesn’t stink

they’re the zenith of what he’ll accomplish in this world

other than watching another NFL season

ignorance that he’ll pass on 

like family jewels and disease

boutique named monsters free to run around a bar 

screaming and yelling 

and raising holy hell on a monday afternoon

like they’re at a playground in a park

duncan in his rookie-of-the-year t-shirt

olive in her plaid dress

smacking their heads off the worn bar 

olive screaming bloody murder

duncan prat falling and farting

the bartender giving us free shots in apology

as dad of the year 

gets up to take a piss

but not before

he comes over to the bar

to order all of his bros

another blessed round.   

 John Grochalski is the author of the poetry collections, The Noose Doesn’t Get Any Looser After You Punch Out (Six Gallery Press 2008), Glass City (Low Ghost Press, 2010), In The Year of Everything Dying (Camel Saloon, 2012), Starting with the Last Name Grochalski (Coleridge Street Books, 2014), and The Philosopher’s Ship (Alien Buddha Press, 2018). He is also the author of the novels, The Librarian (Six Gallery Press 2013), and Wine Clerk (Six Gallery Press 2016).  Grochalski currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, where the garbage can smell like roses if you wish on it hard enough.