The man from Vermont

“We all have excuses”
he says and lights my cigarette

not for me,
but one I gave to him
when favor turned for him
in this game of chess he plays with my friend

“Uh oh, they’ve dimmed the lights”
he says, and I ask,
“What does that mean?”

“It means we cant see!”
and a chuckle rounds the board

“How ya like that?”
he asks, and so I write

-----

“See that knight?
The one next to the white pawn?
Why don’t you just- take- him?”
she asks from beside her other,
who hasn’t said a thing
(the pawn takes diagonally)

They came to sit in the only seats
left in the darkened place, with us,
two women slightly drunk and edging
in past middle age. Its the time of his life
tonight, on top of his game, with an audience
against my friend who says he hadn’t played in years

“Eeeaelay!” he yells,
at the wrong point in the song,
illustrating his elevation,
and the slightly less attractive woman leans and laughs along

“How is everything going over here?”
the pretty waitress asks
“We’re in dire need of Alcohol!”
Haha
“Bring me a water!”
and the waitress walks away