unknown and unshaven
in the back of his favorite bar
sweatpants and sketchers
an open mic going on in the distance
another rhyming poet to the stage
357 magnum cocked to his temple

on his knees and pleading
deep in the jungles of colombia
talking ’bout his four thousand chapbooks
and all the countries he’s published in
how kerouac was a selfish drunk
while his captors shout lines
from scarface at him

beaten and drowning
at the end of some north shore dock
at the hands of the next
up and coming long island poet
loafer and cane discarded
on the road in the wind

alone and tired
deep in the seat of his recliner
trying to make sense
of the latest tik tok influencer
scent of urine in the carpet
a dog that doesn’t love him at his feet

Jordan Krais is a poet from the North Shore of Long Island. You can find him on Instagram@mr._midnight_salad or loitering on bar stools and coffee chairs at open mics across the region.