Vod(ka)ville! 

There I was - in the noisy pop

cultural summer afternoon they 

all want to fit us into - longing 

for the quiet of private personal central 

air conditioning, air like it’s from up high,

from the mountain top, with me kneeling 

and breathing it in before the vents, snow

and peacefulness and stars and moons and 

blue sky you can see in forever blowing out, 

then - someone's family and friends and some

bartender in a Hawaiian shirt was there … 

Care for a drink, boss?

No, thank you. Perrier please. 

Oh, c'mon chief. 

I can’t. 

Why not, dude?

I’m an anonymous alcoholic. Well, I was a second ago. 

Aw let loose buddy, please, join us! 

Ok, I’ll take a shot of vodka, with an ambulance chaser.

… No one laughed. 

But it was funny! And it is.