The Automat was open twenty-four hours a day
because there had to be someplace to go
in that hour between five and six A.M.
when, by law, the bars had to close.
when, by law, the bars had to close.
A nickel for a cup of hot fresh coffee the color of his old
camel hair jacket, luckily the stain wouldn’t show when it dried.
Four nickels for ham and eggs, and another one for a doughnut.
Two
more which he rubbed together
between his thumb and forefinger smiling,
between his thumb and forefinger smiling,
remembering the story the older kids told him
that new nickels came from the buffaloes rubbing
their bellies together like when he saw his mom and dad doing it.
Those and the quarter he had in his pocket
would pay for the first Wild Turkey of the day at 6:05 AM.
that new nickels came from the buffaloes rubbing
their bellies together like when he saw his mom and dad doing it.
Those and the quarter he had in his pocket
would pay for the first Wild Turkey of the day at 6:05 AM.
