cheeseburger soup

cheeseburger soup 

by Murphy Clamrod

I'm starting to see the connections here

most of my stories start with beer

so I'll set this one rolling with

the talk I had with the dude

behind the counter

 "Are these things really eight ninety nine?"

    "Sure are."

 "Got any cold?"

    "Check down there"

      old milwaukee..natie ice..mgd..

                             mgd..

                          mgd..

 "No man, ain't seein' any...

    mind if I check in the coolah?"

             "well, ah, nobodies suposs.."

   "yeah, yeah I'll just be a second."

    it wasn't any colder in that box

    than it was under the street lights

I grabbed

     two of the last three

                             eighteen

           packs of pabst blue ribbon

             gave dude a twenty told

    him to keep the change  &

    try to have a greatday

 

I'd been here a few times in the past

four-story conversion w/a smokestack

where guests needed to be buzzz'd in

luckily for me

                   she knew

                  the right

                    buttons

                           to

                              push

Two strangers

standing on

the 3rd

floor

brick

timbers

couches

music&incense

thick fragrance

of apprehension

who was I

I was looking

at the art

created

from

               spent

pharmaceutical  

containers

I sat in the armless chair

set to the side both 18pks

ripped into one offering the

first to the host he asked if

I wanted to put them in the

fridge I explained that they

were already cold and opened

mine the other stranger fridged 

the beer while I took my coat off

Her & I would sit at the bar

or with wine and tell tales

to each other about

then & now & how

we'd want it to be

if we had the say

& she'd say from

time to time that

she had this

friend that

I just had

to meet

I pleaded with the barkeep @

the bowling bar to stock some

blue ribbon...

he complied

Obama been sworn in bout a month

it was cold in New England

I was huddled tight to the door

when the owners son unlocked it

he smiled at me though the glass

as wind blown

snow blew all      

               around

I stepped inside

he said "hey man,

we don't open for

like twenty more

minutes!"

I stomped the snow from my boots

on the carpet and assured him that

I would wait right there till he was

ready to sell me a cup of coffee

or a shot of jagermeister 


It was a Thursday 
cheeseburger soup
at the soda shoppe 
I would have to hike
the length of lake
winnisquam if I 
wanted some so
I suited up &
headed out bout 9:30
it snowed last night
so the road between
here and where I was
headed would be banked
just about high enough 
to get a hitch-hiker killed
so I stuck my feet in wool
socks & plastic bags and
headed straight for the tracks..
might add an hour or two but i'd
be alive


I arrived around 12:30
we'd text'd so she knew
to meet me for a bowl on
her lunch break
we decided we'd go
watch the bowlers 
giving me a reason
to stay in-town 
she went back to work till five
I started looking for an open bar




we were all
sitting
around
telling 
the this' 
the that's 
laughing
drinking 
getting to 
know one
another 

he was cool


she was right


the other 
stranger
was strange
and the 
tension
quickly
shifted 
to him 
       but
no one said
anything


The host asked 
what I did for
a living
I explained 
that I'd listed
Bullshit Artist
on my myspace
handed him a beer
and asked the same


we talked about the 
same people we grew-up with
same friends we cut our teeth with
same parties we'd attended     yet
never met
so I was busy telling the other-haves 
to lots of tales 
time stood still
in that four
story brick
monster along 
the merrimack 
where you need
to be buzzzzed in


The owners son gave me
a strange look
I was standing
red faced 
he waved
his arm
saying
he'd
put
on
a
pot
I
offered
that he
not bother 
that a beer
might be better


they had a half dozen or so
pool tables so I got a rack
and knock'd balls as he got
ready for thirsty Thursdays


one buzzard 
 then another
  two buzzards
   at once start
    to stumble in 
     it seems with
      every shot a new
       someone was bellied up
by five I was feeling good
about my pool game and she
came in just full of smile


we broke twice 
 before making
   a break for
the bowling ally 


                     it was a
                    20 minute
                     ride but
                     worth it


we pulled in when her phone rang
she hung up and asked if I'd mind
meeting her friend who I had to meet

                  "sure."


what I didn't know was he lived 20 minutes
in the other direction from where we were
shooting pool
she wouldn't let me drink in the car
she said it wasn't far
she claimed we'd get beer
      before we got there
 I
  got 
      thirsty






The night was far from young
we'd done spun every tale
we'd cared to tell and I
was coming down quick


The host dug into this crate
that had seen some good times
he pulled out a journal 
he pulled out an empty moleskine 
handed it to me
 told me to fill it
  I laughed
 told him he'd better
keep it that I wasn't
one for writing
stuff down
he insisted 
I'm not rude
so I accepted 
and headed off
having met HJF