Demon Bar by Peter A. Witt

 Spent another vagrant night
over drink at our local dive,
where old men leer at women
half their age, dreaming for just
a minute that one of them
might invite them home,

but all they're going home with
is the demon of rage
that rags their spirit, and company
of dope and booze that guides
them back to their seats most
every weekday night.

If they're lucky demon
of regret will take the night
off and demon of fear
will sit quietly, satisfied
with a shot of bourbon
and stale peanuts.

Bartender says it's closing
time, last chance for patrons
to douse the demon of overplayed
pride with another quick round,
then slip off the stool, put on
a topcoat too thin to ward off
the cold reality of a
long walk home, alone,
save for the demon friends
they can't quite shake.

Peter A. Witt is a Texas Poet and a retired university professor. He also writes family history with a book about his aunt (Edith’s War) published by the Texas A&M Press. His poetry has been published on various sites including Verse-Virtual, Fleas on the Dog, Live Encounters, Inspired, The Rye Whiskey Review, Open Skies Quarterly, Active Muse, and New Verse News.