
“How long have you been here?”
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Days appear then disappear
Like the smoke rings
Drifting out from my lips
Hutongs and fireworks
Learning to write words with a brush
Incense and temples
Watching rain glide down sloped tiled eaves
Funerals and care homes
My first drink – aged twelve
“Forever, perhaps…”
Her laughter is as cold
As her fingers are pale
Who she is
Or what she’s doing here
I have no idea
That black dress
And those high heels
Are far too expensive
For a cheap place like this
“No, I meant this country.”
“Yes, I know… A while.”
“I guessed. You speak very well.”
“Oh no, no, no…”
My words are nothing but an illusion
Like our reflections in the mirror behind the bar
As fake as her laughter and her red fingernails
As empty and without substance as our shadows on the floor
“Can I get you another?”
I nod and I smile
Yes, I guess
I have always been here
J H Martin is from London, England but has no fixed abode. His prose and poetry have appeared in a number of places in Asia, Europe and the USA. For more information, please visit: A Coat for a Monkey
May 19, 2015 @ 11:43 am FORTH – Drinking Shadows |
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May 19, 2015 @ 11:56 am FORTH – Drinking Shadows | The Bamboo Sea
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