from a neon sign over the bar
                                                       at Jimmy Can’t Dance in Louisville

Giving me the c’mon
in soft neon
the bourbon and scotch
sitting on glass shelves below
as the pianist plays 
a ditty by Sonny Rollins
I share a poem
on my phone
of a friend
a writer
my sanity defender
on deadlines past
& the pianist segues
into Chick Corea

What animal
would he be
An owl
a gazelle
a terrier
all three
Don’t know 
We just toast
Michael with clinks
of our glasses
though he is already gone
listening to jazz
in some dark bar
of his own
alone