The Glass

She came to me
At the height of a Friday night boom
Neon drinks and flash beats
Dark raucousness and
Jim Beam
Pounding away and
Glassy eyes
And I just keep pouring
Whole damn rows across
Beds of ice
For five straight years
Shots and shots and wasted nights.
All for cash to float me 'til
The next weekend round
And last month's bills.
Red to black again erase
Lines of chalky dreamless space.
Draining life, for nothing more
Than bottle sleep and the next long pour.

But her, a wretched jaunty scowl
Flinty eyes and wrinkled jowls.
She flicked her drink order
Like I'd know by sign
And somehow I did
Bled triple sec and vodka
With cranberry juice and lime
And another splash of vodka
Her wince demanded.
Jesus Christ, pay up now. I couldn't stand it.
A dozen circus drunks
Circling in
They waited for me
Their server of life and
Tonic and gin.

But I waited for her.
And waited, and waited.
She showed me instead
An empty glass and a
Finger
Stringing me into
A spit of a whisper:

"I'm not who you think I am
So don't give me your chaser.
I've crouched in this place
Every night since the beginning
Watching you drown out
All of my meaning.
For whatever damn reason
You tell me why
Tonight you stumbled into my eyes.
Couldn't unpuzzle
What a fool of a card
Would be doing here waiting
To be served at your bar.
Listen, honey, I've got here the longest running
Open tab -
Check the Book.
Flip through the pages
And have a look.
Just don't even expect
That I'm tipping your pocket a single worthless cent.
What I will give you is a helluva' lot more:
Here's back your drink since you've really thought
All along it's worth every drowning drop."

She shoved it at me
And got up to leave
Then turned around, waiting for me to see
A full glass of clear liquid
I never poured
Then a smashing second
Of true wonder that tore
Me open like heaven.
And I drank it dry
That cool clean water
Drops of all my missing life.

She grabbed my hands, trembling, before she left
Stared into me deep then slowly said:
"Drink life in and drink enough
But next time when you grab your cup
Hold it out and I'll fill it up."
She inched closer, "Just trust me, okay?"
Clever wrinkles spread across her grinning face;
She could see it all click -
I now knew her Name.

She made one last smirky comment on her way out
Over the noise of my life I heard her shout:
"And gimme a break, honey; I promise someday
To show your amateur ass how real Cosmos are made."