The Morning Wind Across Empty Milk Bottle Tops

by Paul Tristram / October 2nd, 2016

His best suit has become far too familiar
to be still wearing that title.
The stench of last evening’s Old Spice,
hops and barley and stale tobacco
comforts gently his aching, desperate soul.
As he winks, waves an unsteady hand
at the frowning postman and croaks
“Be lucky, me old shiner!”
Womanless and better for it these days,
each precious penny he drinks alone.
Trough’s the Bar every other Monday only,
when giro cheque brings colour through
the otherwise mundaneness of his front door.
By midnight he’s not arrested exactly
but taken in for being incapable to walk.
Where they let him sleep for six hours
before letting him quietly out the backway.
It’s a gruelling mile and a half wobble
to his lodgings on t’other end of town.
But almost two weeks horizontal
watching portable black and white telly
and he’ll be once more ready for The Crown.

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.

This article was posted on Sunday, October 2nd, 2016 at 8:04am and is filed under Poetry.