Poem on Multitasking
in a Brightonian Dive Bar.
The kitchen doors flew open
like some gunslinger
had entered a
Spaghetti Western saloon –
the landlady then stared over
to my section and rolled her eyes.
“Y’know what your problem
is sunshine?” she screamed.
“What?” I’d asked.
“You try to do everything at
fucking once!”
My boss then tried to
demonstrate how to operate
the dishwasher and make
desserts at the same time
before failing at my
minimum wage
Sisyphean job and leaving,
but she’d been right –
there I was trying to pen lines,
sneak in drinks from the bar
for the chefs and myself,
whilst texting my friend in
response to his “business idea” –
one that was risky,
but paid enough in cash money
to pay for two months,
write freely and search
for a new job.
I knew that in a couple of days
it’d also be payday at the pub
and time to prioritise
things again and I knew that
my job there wasn’t going to be
one of them.
A Process.
Artificial
like
pornographic
orgasmic
groans –
yet real
like the beauty
in ugly love.
Refreshing,
yet familiar,
like the old
in the new.
Drowsy,
yet dangerous
like hornets
in October
investigating
geraniums.
Under my skin –
like the hornets
stinger now
waiting to be
plucked
out of me
just like this.
Sometimes in Life
We’ll Find Eggshell
in Our Tortilla.
It’s just the way the
bee bumbles,
the the mop flops
and the cookie crumbles.
Sometimes,
bad weather
follows good people
and vice versa too.
But real trouble is not in
finding eggshells
in your tortilla –
real trouble will find you
down an unfamiliar alleyway,
or come as an
unexpected phone call at
3AM.
It’s not always
easy to notice,
but the more aware
we are
of eggshells in life,
then the more
we’ll find them.
So, ask yourself –
is this really so bad?
It’s time
to spit out
that eggshell,
amigo.
“Gwil James Thomas was born in Bristol, England in 1987. His written work can be found widely in print and sometimes online in places such as 3AM, Midnight Lane Boutique, Red Fez, Outlaw Poetry and now here. His most recent poetry chapbook is Hidden Icons & Secret Menus (Analog Submission Press). He has a forthcoming split poetry chapbook with the poet John D Robinson titled Romance, Renegades & Riots (Analog Submission Press) and also another forthcoming solo chapbook poetry titled Writing Beer, Drinking Poetry (Concrete Meat Press). He lives, eats well and writes in San Sebastián, Northern Spain.”