Quiet Bar

jazz
in the background,
under the lights
which are dimmed
and hidden

this quiet bar
is exact; it’s
living
like an old woman
twenty years
beyond the final neighbor

no one
is here but the barkeep
and his rag,
wiping glasses to the rhythm
no one drinks from

and me
tapping gently
the quiet words that swirl
like the final swallow
of Merlot
on my quiet tongue

11-22-95