what are the songs that men sing
when the mind refuses to sleep

sour beer wrapped in the blues
week old bananas
and worn out leathery shoes

saturday night
and the traffic is light
some want to fight
but i just take flight

where have all the people gone
i hide in plain sight
feeling like fate’s pawn
wanting to fight
but waiting for dawn

my fingernails are black
and my stomach is craving a snack
i fell down the stairs today
and almost broke my back

i’m listening to ambient
and melodic tones
it helps relax the internal critic

it’s 10 pm and i’m waiting
waiting in vain
drinking away pain
and hoping for rain

every headlight is a
skipped heartbeat
and
fools expect the impossible

i haven’t even finished
my cigarette or my beer
and i’ve completely lost it

but i keep going
because i like the sound
of my keyboard clicking

i think this one
is coming to an end
but maybe i’ll write another
before bed

i don’t know
what i really hope to accomplish
with all this senseless chatter
suffice to say
that poetry is a mild cure
for anxiety intoxication and boredom