Bar with no name

• Esther Elbaum, Grade 10
• Poetry
• 2004

The Bar with no Name,
Who would go to such a place?

A single mother, perhaps, immediately after dropping off her baby,
With her disheveled outfit, stained with baby food, and her tousled hair,
Needs a break from her stressful life.

Or maybe a stock broker, after work,
Wearing his business suit, tie half open, carrying his brown leather briefcase,
Lives like a king, needs no material items, but has no loved ones to share his wealth.

A teacher, after bearing beast-like children all day,
Carrying her tote bag and still expressing her stern scowl,
Desires a place where she cannot be bothered.

These people enter, to quaff a drink,
Under these neon lights, where they feel protected;
Escaping to this place makes them anonymous to the rest of the world.

The beverages taste better here,
Whether a martini, beer, or mineral water,
Nothing is being a bother while enjoying them.

No more crying babies, loneliness, nor shouting children,
Only the quietness, disturbed by the sipping of drinks;
Sip, sip, sip, like the soft beat of a drum, relaxing everyone while deep in thought.

In that dim, smoky place,
Where you come in to escape.