First Night At The Door

It was some band
Called The Murder City Devils,
I didn’t know
What I was in for.
He handed me a Garcia y Vega cigar box,
I don’t know why I’m dreaming about this now;
Mostly my dreams are about mops and keys
And setting alarms.
It used to be about the music
Until survival mode set in.
Everything changed
And I wasn’t ready for it.
I’m working the door at a rock and roll nightclub
Just for the hell of it.

Robert Bartusch is a bar manager in Cincinnati, Ohio. His poems have recently appeared in The Main Street Rag, Third Wednesday, and The Mad River Review. He is a lover of music, dogs, and beer. His family operated The Stockyards Inn in Dayton, Ohio from 1977 until 2013. He has worked on the production end of the rock concert business since 2000.

Poet/Photographer Jennifer Matthews’ poetry has been published in Nepal by Pen Himalaya and locally by the Wilderness Retreat Writers Organization, Midway Journal, The Somerville Times, Ibbetson Street Press and Boston Girl Guide. Jennifer was nominated for a poetry award by the Cambridge Arts Council for her book of Poetry Fairy Tales and Misdemeanors. Her songs have been released nationally and internationally and her photography has been used as covers for a number of Ibbetson Street Press poetry books and has been exhibited at The Middle East Restaurant, 1369 Coffeehouses, Sound Bites Restaurant in Somerville and McLean Hospital.