elvis

by Justin Hyde

fanned out
three quarters
on the bar
to show me
the borders
of his
home country:

said he
came to the usa
after fighting
in the
bosnian war.

no offense
to your
abraham lincoln
but this is no
golden goose country,
he said
told me
he was going back
to bosnia
next month.

i bought him
a shot of black velvet
and asked how
bosnia was better.

for instance
in bosnia
you sit on stairs of bank
after close
nobody bother you
but here
police put guns in your face,
he said.

then he
opened his wallet
showed me a few ones
and a condom

told me here
you have to work every day
to balance the flea act
but in bosnia
you can work two months
and have enough money
to take the next month off:

drink whiskey
shake leg
jump over the moon,
he laughed
slapping my back so hard
piss dribbled
down my leg.