from napowrimo.net: Day 9 —
Today I challenge you write a poem inspired by noir — it could be in the voice of a detective, or unravel a mystery, or just describe the long shadows of the skyscrapers in the ever-swirling smog. After all, “you know how to write a poem, don’t you, Steve? You just pick up a pen and you write.”
I had thought about going to Manchester to hear the Poet Laureate of Vermont but no road seemed to want to get me there in time. I came home instead and thought about this prompt some more. Here goes the first draft – it was a line and half or so past a sonnet so I did mush it around enough to make it stick as one and fixed a couple things.
In the corner of the bar, in the shadows,
sitting alone, waiting for someone
the long cool drink of water
but for now there’s just a glass
half full and some ice.
Just showing up, dressed nothing special
the night’s rain tracked across the floor
shining on the linoleum.
Each door opening brings a gush of hope
but no one shows a twitch of it.
Two dark eyes not looking at the door.
The ice settles. A loud voice at the bar.
A fedora on the table and the air
in the booth moving out of the way.
