POEM - SWALLOWERS

SWALLOWERS
I was in the bar
drinking beers
staring at my glass
daring it to make a move
there was an old man
a few stools down
doing even less than that
when the bartender
came up to him
to ask if he’d like another beer
his answer was always the same
“I may as well have one more,
before I go outside and swallow a bullet.”
at first I was a little nervous
maybe the old bastard
might be serious
and he might try
to take a few of us with him
but he kept on with saying it
beer after beer
as the morning became the afternoon
I could tell I wasn’t the only one
who was becoming more than annoyed
so finally
when the bartender came up to me
and asked if I wanted another beer
I said, “I may as well,
before I go outside
and buy him a gun.”