THE ULTIMATE POETRY COLLECTION 2002
BOOK #04
SALOON
The cowboy sauntered through the doorway,
People instantly turned their heads.
Girls flushed as they watched him gait across the room,
Guys watched in wait for him to make one false move.
He walked straight to the bar, sat on a stool,
Ordered a drink, and paid the two dollar bill.
Some saloon girls wandered up to him,
And murmured a provocative “hello;”
He muttered a quick “Hi,”
Before he told them to leave him alone.
They obeyed,
But did not stay away for long.
“We are lousy consorts,
If one of us can’t loosen his tongue,
And lousy whores if he leaves,
Without taking one of us to bed.”
Are a few of the words they sharply said.
They paraded around him for hours on end,
Girls in long tresses, tight fitting dresses,
Long lashes, occasional flashes, brass utters.
He became rather amused,
But kept at distance with them too.
The other men around the room,
Became annoyed at the parade,
But did not utter a sound,
And continued to gamble,
And drink their money away.
But one man named Mac,
Who sat near the back,
Stood up;
Eyes were cold and black.
He slandered the newcomer,
For his sudden fame;
The newcomer stared with disdain.
Mac took out a gun.
“No! No blood shed!”
One hoar said,
As she grabbed his gun;
He harshly slapped her face,
And pushed her away.
The cowboy reacted,
Unsheathed his firearm,
And shot the man in the arm,
Before he shot at his hands –
His palms –
One clean shot in each one.
Mac rushed away,
Followed by some pals.
“That serves you right!” a hoar said,
“For hitting a girl, with your brute strength.”
The cowboy was intense,
And unresponsive after that;
Whores kept their distance,
To avoid any-more spats.
The manager felt,
The tension that loomed in the gloom,
And decided to,
Get some entertainment,
Into the room.
The girls appeared on stage,
The crowd applauded, and shouted praise -
The cowboy didn’t look their way.
They danced to music,
Kicked their legs –
The crowd cheered,
And threw money their way;
The cowboy couldn’t keep his eyes away,
And finally looked.
His eyes turned bright,
He stared at them with delight –
Particularly the fourth one on the right,
He hardly let her out of his sight.
The manager notices this,
And slipped to stand by his side;
“You like what you see?” He inquired.
“Oh yeah – very much.” The cowboy breathed.
He grinned and looked at the manager.
“How much is that one over there?”
He asked as he pointed to the dainty one,
With the clipped back raven hair.
The manager lit a cigarette.
“She’s not available to take to bed.”
“Ah;” the cowboy said,
“I’ll give you six, or six and five,
And I promise to treat her right.”
The manager laughed heartily.
“The amount does not matter to me,
My business keeps me fairly wealthy.
No, that particular girl,
Made it clear before she worked for me,
That she wasn’t going to sleep for money.
She’s a dancer my friend,
The stage is where her services end.”
The cowboy looked at her and sighed,
“So there’s nothing she can do?
Without the public peering her on her too?”
The manager thought for a moment,
Then a twinkle lit his eyes.
“You can talk to her if you like,
The cost for a private chat with be twenty five.”
“Dollars?!” The cowboy scoffed.
“Twenty five dollars for a chat?!
Ha! Screw that!
I’ll talk to her when she’s done,
Dancing to everyone.”
“She doesn’t stay out here,
She goes to bed.” The manager said.
The cowboy stood up,
“Well I’ll just get her attention then.” He cited,
Before he made his way,
To the edge of the stage.
The girls’ finished their kicks,
And fished the change,
That was being thrown on-stage.
Some dancers wrestled,
For the dollars, and dimes,
Entertaining the mob at the same time.
While the exotic girl who caught the cowboys’ eye,
Picked up the smaller change.
The cowboy walked up to her part of the stage,
And displayed five dollars in front of her face.
She froze in place,
And eyed him suspiciously with a jade coloured gaze.
The cowboy smiled,
“You deserve this;” He murmured.
The girl moved cautiously closer,
To the stage edge;
“Thanks;” she murmured,
As she grasped the money tight,
Before she quickly walked off the stage,
Out of sight.
The manager slapped the cowboys’ back.
“Yep she was certainly wooed by that!”
The cowboy gazed at the backstage door,
Before he paid the manager twenty-four.
“That price is illegal,” the cowboy complained,
As he was ushered backstage;
“Well this is a saloon;” The manager said,
“You pay – we give you the best.”
He slapped the cowboy on the back,
Before he showed him to the room,
In which he’s have his chat.
“She’ll be here soon,
I can guarantee that.”
The manager said before he left the room,
As he beamed and whistled a tune,
About his prosperous saloon.
April 1, 2002