A Bar Stool Baby





The Morgue File



wantonness is a slow burn
moving silently toward shadows
left behind bar stools on a hazy Saturday night,

picking its way among the wreckage
trailed in from lives disintegrating
one decibel at a time,

finding life in thieves' movements
a slip of lip
in a bathroom stall.

are you all in yet?



copyright/all rights reserved Audrey Howitt 2015

The midweek motif at Poets United is all about choices this week, Here is my bit.

Comments

  1. whew I was once but luckily I lived through it. it is a slow burn that will eventually leave you little more than ash.

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  2. Soo full of depth & wisdom!! 💖

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  3. A depressing reality. Awful choice of a way to live.Although in the third world a lot of girls have to pole dance in bars to feed their extended families ...we comfortable westerners should not be judgmental about these poor girls.

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  4. "moving silently toward shadows" indeed...

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  5. This made me think of what it must be like in a nightclub in the morning (literal or otherwise) - of the harsh light of day and the mess that needs to be cleaned up - skilfully written

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  6. There is so much truth in this....my goodness, Audrey, you are only getting better.

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  7. This was a scene that never appealed to me, even when I was young and not very bright, LOL. You painted it to perfection.

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  8. Oh dear - my comment wilt publish. Hm. Really good poem - you bring just the right feeling to it.

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  9. Nicely written, Audrey! A harsh reality here.

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  10. When it's slow there may be time for other choices. You evoke a mood that I have not experienced but can imagine.

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  11. Raw poetry...you bring the scene so clearly with your details and paint a portrait of a life in this area of choice...well written!

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  12. Raw poetry...you bring the scene so clearly with your details and paint a portrait of a life in this area of choice...well written!

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  13. So it is, a slow burn until we wholly disintegrate ~

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  14. Lucky for me, this is not someting I was ever involved with. But those who are making choices that may hurt them, deserve our compassion, their choices are probably founced in ignorance and pain. So sad.

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  15. This life fragment will influence all further events for them, sadly...

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  16. This poem was deep, really deep. Loved it. Thanks.

    Greetings from London.

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  17. Humans have a bit of mess of their evolution I wonder which animal will be dominate next...or insect perhaps. (I had to put that last bit in as the ants and cockroaches were giving me a strange look)

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  18. When we seek the slip of lip in bathroom stalls I think we cannot sink further.

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  19. This makes me think of energy: the energy of where you "hang out" and if you're in a sub-par place, your cup isn't filled.
    But, as always, I love, love your poetry.

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  20. It's unfortunate that for some people living like this is the only viable choice they have... Well-penned!

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  21. This is perfectly written and in combo with the photo - wow, I felt it. Didn't feel good . . . ha - glad to be an adult a (mostly) content adult.

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  22. An intriguing image of the single scene, expressed clearly and without reservation.

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  23. Would love to see something this good written on the restroom wall :)

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