Two Poems by James Babbs

Hardees, Monday Evening In December

I can hear them talking
their voices rising up
from the kitchen
the place is nearly empty
just me and another guy sleeping
in the booth near the back wall
I just want to finish my coffee
before heading for home
and I hear the waitress asking
what’s it called when two people
have been married less than
six months and they want
to split up but don’t want
to get a divorce but
nobody answers her and
all the time I’m thinking
annulment
it’s called an annulment
and why the hell won’t
somebody answer her
but no one ever does and
I wait for her to ask again
but she just lets the conversation
drift into something else and
I hear the other guy mumbling
something in his sleep before I
throw my cup away and leave

________________________

Last Night’s Dream

I went to the zoo and
after paying for my ticket
saw the sign that said
something about 32 ounce beers but
I had to go across the street
there was something I needed
and it was across the street
I wondered if the ticket
I just purchased
would still be good if
I left and came back
I walked out onto the sidewalk
where I saw the heavy traffic
between my side of the street
and the other side of the street
there wasn’t any place for
pedestrians to cross
I stood there
on my side of the street
watching the traffic for a long time
waiting for it to thin-out
enough for me to cross
but it never did so
I went back to the zoo where
the sign said something about
32 ounce beers and noticed
the words ice-cold at the bottom
I wanted to get one but
there was nobody around
in the distance
the lion started bellowing
such a sad and lonesome sound