I knew right away she was the kinda woman that would
cost me time & heartache. if I was the faithful type, I’d
stick to my whiskey bottle. but whiskey bottles don’t
come in blonde and sultry.

as I watched her, I fell into my daydream, drifting into that
never land where flowers bloom in the gutters & two lonely
hearts stroll into ever after, happily. then a doll like her slaps
me back into this celluloid pantomime, this cold, cruel cinema.

see, I never had the savvy to back away from a losing proposition.
I always figured my butt was made to be kicked, my heart was
made to be broken, but my shoulder was made to be cried on.
so I finished my drink, brushed back my hair, & marched toward
the gunfire of her deep, dark, dangerous eyes…


before I could ambush her with my charm, she right away cut
me off. ‘of all the gin joints in this crazy town, I had to wander
into the Maltese Falcon. save your dime, Bogie, while I clue you
in. one day soon I will buy my ticket on a rich man’s ride, & I
won’t have to hustle pick-up palaces like this any more. when he
finds me, I will have my prince. but darlin’,’ she said, & her eyes got
very cold. ‘you ain’t him.’

I used my ragged tie to put my busted heart in a sling, & I watched
as she made off into the night in her slinky way, fading in the fog –

along with my love story dreams…