He drank his beer with childrens straws

He drank his beer with childrens straws

like it was nothing strange at all

foam clung to the bend

he tipped it slow

watching the world over the rim

eyes half lost in another place

The jukebox stuttered an old tune

one light flickered above the bar

his hand curled round the glass

a quiet shake in the wrist

not from fear not from cold

just years settling in the bones

No one asked him why

no one cared to guess

the straws were pink and green

left from the afternoon crowd

kids with chips and orange pop

gone long before the dark came in

He smiled without looking up

took another slow pull

and the beer seemed endless

as if the night would not move

as if time itself

was caught in that narrow plastic bend

Somewhere the door swung open

cold air rolled across the floor

he did not turn

just drew the straw between his teeth

eyes still fixed on nothing

he drinks his beer with a straw