Under the Burren

Under the belly of Somerville,
in the bowels of Davis Square,
stood Jimmy, tingling in
the new year with the chuckle

of a harmonica. After, the Irish
band upstairs twinkled out
a tune to splash over the rocks
with a broken heart or to help

lure a new honey who couldn’t
possibly hear your love-tapping
tongue over the clogging drunks.
In the quieter corner, by stained-

glass windows and a heavy door,
my friends weren’t catching the hint
when I asked a cute guy with a laptop
about the thing sticking out of the back.

Pals kept offering me techno advice
…when I was really only interested
in the black-haired dude’s particular
stick-thingy. Friends can be obtuse.

 

Note: Jimmy Tingle’s theatre was located in a basement on the same block as the Burren pub.

Mignon Ariel King’s latest book is What Good’s a View of the Charles…? from ALL CAPS PUBLISHING.