Tom’s Tavern on 7 Mile by John Harold Olson

I’d nev­er been so com­fort­ably drunk 

Tom’s old 1 sto­ry house 

With the in­side open-flow past 

Posts hold­ing up the 

Low ceil­ing 

Juke box with James Tay­lor 

And Miles Davis 

Eter­nal­ly 1973 

Chil­dren from the old neigh­bor­hood 

Down from leafy sub­urbs 

Sit­ting In fa­mil­ial groups 

Beer and hu­mid­i­ty 

Ment­hol ci­ga­rets 

A ham­burg­er bas­ket with those sliced pick­les -Years lat­er 

I’m read­ing the De­troit Free Press 

On the Wood­ward LTD 

 Go­ing past 7 Mile in the sleet 

I read of the death of Tom’s 

Peo­ple tore open the build­ing 

With crow­bars and cleaned it out. 

It feels bad 

The death of some­thing good 

Every time.

Retired Las Vegas teacher now a hospice volunteer.