[Adroit] Skinny Living… A Blagger Returns

You do not waste your ‘Time’
explaining the perils of ‘Gout’
to a Poor and Thin Man…
‘Problems’ are for Sorting
-Out… by yourself…
how else you gonna Learn?
I once revisited an Old Haunt
after years ‘On The Lam’…
there’s a guy sat in a Tavern
whinging into his pint
with EXACTLY the same
‘Troubles’ as he had before…
just with different Characters.
I felt ‘Better’ not ‘Guilty’
when I quickly told him
“Fuck off… I’m busy, yeah!”
I’m manoeuvring around the
‘On The Cadge’ Opportunists
… the Pocket-Magpies [who
are two-a-penny]… and,
the ‘Sob-Story’ Tricksters,
who’s ‘Poor Me’ Desperation
is as ‘Catchy-As-The-Clap’…
as I Swagger towards the Bar.
Egypt’s not Stripping tonight
… twisted her ankle, aww,
in a [nasty-as-fuck] Catfight
… she’s working the ‘Bottles
and Glasses’… whilst, ‘Dip
-ping The Till’… and I’ll be
needing to borrow 20 Nicker
if I am going to be able to
pay back the Tenner I owe her.

* for Dai Not Guilty from Castle-Nedd [Kicking Back Drunk]

Paul Tristram is a widely published Welsh writer who deals in the Lowlife, Outsider, and Outlaw genres.  He wrote his first poem as a teenager following his release from the (Infamous) Borstal ‘HMP Portland’, and he has been creating Literary Terrorism ever since.  His novel ‘Crazy Like Emotion’ is available to purchase right here . Also his collection of shorter fiction Kicking Back Drunk ‘Round The Candletree Graves' is available to purchase at https://bookgoodies.com/a/B0DFMTSR4F Both books are published by Close To The Bone Publishing. Read other articles by Paul, or visit Paul's website.