Stammtisch at the Oasis
Clockwise 'round the short bar
sit half a dozen guys
on Friday night
four drinking beer
two drinking soda
the scene
becoming progressively chaotic
as more people file in
to the Oasis
to quench their cravings
after another
week of it
whatever their particular
IT is:
A homeless black, the rest white
a Berkeley Prof, an Intel millionaire
an unemployed printer
a retired librarian in his 70s and
a minor author--an ex ops-man
from that same library
a university library
in a university town
the next town down from the Oasis
where Steinbeck set a part of EAST OF EDEN
The conversation swirls above
the cacophony of
autre voix
It is nine in the evening
loose tongues
speak volumes of
forgettable prose about
sports, long distance driving routes--
U.S. 6 is the longest--movies, stars, races
and friends departed--most with liver failure
And of a sudden
it's time to turn in
inwards again
ever inwards
and bid good fellows fond adieu
as the week begins anew
and the wheel turns
on its screw
turning higher
ever higher
to be sure
but not by much
