monarchy no more

by Karl Koweski

I barely recognized Geoff
with the Miller High Life bottle
clutched in his fist
sort of the way
you can walk past a co-worker
at Wal-Mart
and not notice him
wearing his civilian attire

Geoff! What are you drinking?
Where’s your navy blue monkey suit?
I thought you were a Budweiser man!

The king of beers is dead
Harry Carey is in the ground
Jr’s driving for an energy drink
and now the powers that be
sell the whole brewery
to a bunch of goddam Brazilians

this coming from the same man
who referred to French fries
as freedom fries
for an entire year
following 9/11

freedom fries
freedom toast
freedom salad dressing

beer tastes like donkey piss
Geoff sets the Miller down on the bar
casting a misty-eyed stare
at the neon Budweiser sign
glaring in the darkened window,
it’s not easy
being a man of principles
it takes sacrifices, brother
it takes sacrifices