13 Days After, While at Work
All the sporty folk who
go the distance and
fuck thrice daily
run miles in colorful joggers,
push strollers and cappuccinos
‘round the block.
Through the bar’s glass—
with jigger and muddled bitters—
I think about my two little boys
and this divorce. A past echoes
with visual aids:
Outside, happy couples hold hands,
tug each other toward the next interest.
Inside, patrons speak softly
with locked, loving eyes.
Others cheer the Cowboys
with a gaze held in duress.
I pour, polish, wipe
a run-down surface,
aim for cleanliness,
and need a deep breath.
Kiel M. Gregory lives and tends bar in Sackets Harbor, NY, and studies English literature, creative writing, and philosophy at SUNY Oswego. He has served as guest editor for the North Country Writers Festival and managing editor for Jane’s Boy Press. His prose and verse appear in Lips, Paterson Literary Review, aaduna, Furrow, Audeamus, and elsewhere. In addition to writing, his interests include skydiving, cooking, photography, and reading classic and contemporary speculative fiction. Visit kielmgregory.com for more.