At Pop’s Bar, established 1937.
Real bars open at 6 a.m.
has no food but peanuts
and a potluck on Thanksgiving
regular crowd as diverse as the liquor shelf
ghost names engraved in tarnished gold plates
ash trays at the bar and every
tiny round table arising
from threadbare red carpet
like buoys
juke box of timeless rock and blues
and TV for the most exciting two minutes
pool table doubling as a slab
toilet room held together by stickers
no windows or if there is one
it’s curtained or covered with posters
of sexy women holding bottles
eliciting jokes and memories
always something strange, here, e.g.,
a defunct phone booth used as bird cage
real bars have real drunks
Plato slurs as he studies the forms
at 6:55 a.m.
Dan O’Connell is a four-time award winning poet, and multiple finalist and honorable mention. His poetry has appeared over one hundred times. He is the author of three full-length collections of poetry, and several chapbooks. A former philosophy professor, Dan O. is an attorney representing the oppressed. Find Dan O. at www.danoconnellpoetry.com.
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