Dive Bar By John Drudge

It squats in a cracked 

Back alley 

A battered jewel 

In a tarnished crown 

Where neon flutters 

Like a drinker’s heartbeat

Where the air is thick 

With whiskey-soaked whispers 

And the ghosts of dreams 

That stumbled and fell 

A jukebox croaks a tune 

Its melody swaying 

Like a boxer on his last legs 

And barstools cradle poets 

Too tired to write 

And lovers too broken 

To part 

Smoke curling

Around chipped glasses 

And weathered faces 

As the bartender

Dispenses absolution 

By the ounce 

And sorrows are drowned 

In the darkening tide 

Of forgetfulness

On the other side

Of tonight 

John is a social worker working in the field of disability management and holds degrees in social work, rehabilitation services, and psychology. He is the author of four books of poetry: “March” (2019), “The Seasons of Us” (2019), New Days (2020), and Fragments (2021). His work has appeared widely in numerous literary journals, magazines, and anthologies internationally. John is also a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee and lives in Caledon Ontario, Canada with his wife and two children.