Bleak Street

before it gets dark, I see
drifts of dead leaves, a squirrel heaven
and a faint glow     cast on my pub table
when it’s dark dark, the rain falls even more lonely, beer
drowns staggering human shadows
as the girls walk off in the direction of the headlights
at this moment, happiness show up uninvited
the words “mate”, “buddy” explain everything
I’ve come here
not to find a force called sadness
but to prevent sadness from reaching all the way to despair

BLEAK STREET