now and then a flashbulb
goes off.
the mike still doesn't work.
the poet sits.
a chance to drink some more.
a little girl comes up
sweet, sexy, psychotic
hold's one of the poet's
books open to
autograph.
he writes. "I could rip you
apart. . ."
forgets to sign his name.
calls for another drink.
the mike works.
now the poet reads
feeling put-upon
forgetting he has agreed
to read for money.
after several poems
the poet stands up
announces:
"you god damn
shits,
you think this is
easy. . .
it's nothing but a
motherfucking
blood-letting. . ."
"GIVE US MORE BLOOD!"
screams a young boy
from the back.
it's the best poem
of the night.
the poet drinks
half a glass of
whiskey.
lights a cigar.
hacks.
sometimes they laugh
sometimes they applaud.
they confuse him
but most things do.
he drinks his way
to the finish.
there is applause
of relief.
then another sweet, sexy
psychotic girl comes
up to his table
says she
is from the local paper
would like to
ask some questions.
she
sits down.
he answers the first
question looking at her
hair and her eyes
imagining her
in bed with him.
"what do you think of F.
Scott Fitzgerald?"
she asks.
"I never," he answers,
"think of him. . ."
waving a hand in
emphasis
he spills a large beer
on her tight blue jeans,
saying,
"Jesus, Jesus, I'm
sorry. . ."
rubbing his hands
on her knees
along her wet thighs
as if to dry her.
she leaves and the
promoter arrives
with the money:
$432.
"shit," says the poet,
"you promised me $500."
"we had to pay two bouncers
$68 to keep the crowd
from
swarming all over you. . ."
"you mean I was that
good?" asks the poet.
"that bad," says the
promoter getting up
and leaving.
the poet pours another
drink.
grabs the mike:
"listen, I ain't finished
yet, I'm going to read you
another poem. . ."
somebody shuts the mike
off.
nobody protests.
the poet gets up
from his table
makes it to the men's
room
stands pissing.
a man next to him is
also pissing.
the poet says to the
man: "listen buddy, where
can I get a piece of ass?"
"I was going to ask you
the same thing,"
the man answers.
the reading is over.