Three
In this diner-cum-bar
Not including me
Because I never do
Even when it’s my story
And, it’s always
My story

One
My wife, my pal
Sipping away
At one of the two
Freebie beers
Listening to songs
Heard on repeat

Two
At the otherwise
Empty bar
Backs to the stage
Draining their pints
Molson’s Canadian
In separate silences

None
Of this really
Awful memory matters
Much anymore
April 14, 2014
The settled, final
Public performance

Null
And distinctly voided
Slocan Grill
Wrecker-ball dust
Taking the vestiges
Of my last gig
To the landfill

© jameshoutonarts 2026