~~~
The Barmaid
~~~
I sauntered into the haunted saloon
placed myself carefully on a stool at the counter
nobody was there but a bunch of ghosts & me
the barmaid, Holy Mary, uncorked a bottle of grace
poured me a shot
the shot glass looked empty
but I knew, yes, I knew
the shot glass was now full of grace
“the Lord is with thee,” I said to the barmaid
she smiled gently
a replica of the Milky Way galaxy in each eye
a crucifix above her head
“what’s a crucifix doing in here?” I asked
her reply: “This is the ghost town called Love, remember?”
an awkward grin tilted my head sideways
I gulped down what she had served
& left a generous tip…
~
(Copyright Clyde Collins 2011)
~~~
photo
Loretta Young