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Mary's Saloon
Beckons
Ghost Face
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Mary’s Saloon rebuilt & doing well
beckoned to me
a divine finger c’mon
~
I approached in slow motion
the newly reconstructed bat-winged front door
one early evening
~
The band was chortling Ava Maria
Lady Magdalene was perched on a wooden barrel
outside the door as a rainbow feathered
mystical crow
~
The wooden sidewalk creaked a
love song to worn-out boots as
I placed a winged-heel there
& I fondly nodded to the Jesus factor
in the Magdalene’s diamond eye
~
She
crooned
soothingly
~
The consequences of which were lost
due to my sudden awareness of
a mountain lion sitting upright
on the planks half a store front away
& the beast’s ferociously hungry eyes were on me!
~
I tossed the large predator a
swift secret-agent move
then dashed the other way into the saloon
the inside of which resembled a Spanish cathedral
~
I found Mary sitting serenely in a back pew
she made a motion with her hand
that induced me to sit nearby &
we enjoyed the music eternally
~
I happened to look around & sure enough
that cougar had quietly stretched out on the bench
to the other side of me with her tail swishing
she lay on her back, placed her foot on my thigh
~
A couple drops of water from a broken pipe
dripped onto the mountain lion’s head
& aghast!
the critter was really Diana Longtree
in her new saloon dress
~
We three bozos
laughed
& laughed
& had a fun time together
~
Until Diana slowly grew solemn
like the flossy critter that she is &
glancing at Mary, she said to me, “Tell her”
& I grew solemn too
~
“Dear Mother of God
Diana & I
want to get married”
~
Mary’s eyes grew brighter than
they already were
she smiled benignly but
rolling her eyeballs toward the colorful murals on the ceiling
she said, “Ghosts can only get married
in heaven”
~
A magnanimous rooster
strutting back n’ forth on top of the bar
saluted
cah cah cah cahhhhhhh
!
~
(Copyright Clyde Collins 2012)
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