Hard Scrabble Bubble Gum Poem by Lonnie Hicks

Her face was hard
and it had marks on it
and she was smoking her cigarette
when I walked in
to use the John;
she yelled out at me
''You, going up to the casinos
'are ya? '
I said 'Yes
have to use the john.'

'You probably rich,
buy me a drink why don't ya? '
I said 'sure, when I come back'

I came back to stand up
cowboy style
along side her
at the bar
and she started talking to me
like I was her best friend.

'These gents in here don't
don't appreciate a lady
like your self
and they sure as hell
don't by drinks.'

Her voice was hard
as below-the-seat bubble-gum
with a hard scrabble tone
above a hacking cough.

'I was married once
but he couldn't handle the ride;
needed me a real man
and he got all upset-
started to hit me.
It was plain to see he wasn't right
in the head;
wanted all the time to be lovey dovey after.

Hell a man
I always say
have to be 6 feet tall
to take a ride on me.
He wasn't
and ran off with the carnival
that come through town.

How about another one?
Will, come on over here
the lady is buying drinks.'

Willie smiled a single tooth..
'Thanks' he said.
She kept the conversation going.
'People look at me
and they think
what happened to her?
Life is what happened to me.
Life is what happened to me.
Made bad decisions
never got out of this town
stayed too long
and now I ain't fit to live
no where else 'ceptin' here.
A misfit
living among all the other misfits
around here.

We all misfittin' together.'

'Gotta go' I said.
'One more? 'she said.

I drove away
thinking
how much of life
is random luck
good and bad
choices
and circumstance.