Monday, January 12, 2026

Hunched By Susan Isla Tepper


None of them takes off a jacket.

Hunched around the horseshoe bar

on West 14th

knocking them back; silent.

No snippets of conversation.

Strictly to drink until closing. 

Bartender knows by a nod

what and when to pour. 

Place must be a hundred by now

still smoky after decades

of non-smoking laws.

Ashtrays on the bar overflow.

They brought in a band

that’s why I’m here.

To try and sing through the haze.





Susan Isla Tepper is a twenty year writer in all genres. Her most recent book, a Novel titled Hair Of A Fallen Angel, came out in the fall from Spuyten Duyvil Books, NYC. Tepper has also written 7 stage plays. Her third play titled EVA & ADAMO will present at The Tank, NYC, early fall. www.susantepper.com


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