My Angel is drunk
so I take my place;
grasp the glass, glare straight
past the marks and sharks
into the black space
beyond this blue bar.
It's church, not just bar,
and Jesus' blood drunk
to flush the brain space
in this, the Skull's Place,
where glide Roman sharks,
their bone lances straight.
More blood of Christ, straight,
might redeem this bar.
Angel's eyed by sharks,
but she's not so drunk
to confuse this place
with that cool black space -
space to forget, space
to breathe and dive straight
away from this place.
But someone will bar
the way: Dad, piss-drunk,
wine a froth of sharks.
I notice the sharks
are circling my space -
figure that I'm drunk
and easy, so straight
for the neck. Blue bar
goes crimson. In place
of wine, rain. In place
of stools, woods. No sharks,
but owls; no blue bar,
but the cool black space
soaks my clothing straight
through. The clouds are drunk.
Angel's drunk. The bar
dims. Sharks leap. Cool space
sits straight in my place.