Before:

The men barricading the bar
resemble the dogs they keep.
It’s said behaviour’s drawn down the leash;
I’m not so sure that’s true.
The animals know best what happens here.
Meat raffle, strained smoke, and export lager.
On ecstatic pills they shuffle between melancholy and manic;
the puzzled sense there must be more
can’t shake them from the Vine.

The women haunting the tables
swill the ice in their drinks.
From hole-punched eyes and faulty smiles
the question begs at me:
was their kindness stolen or just buried real well?
They all sup drowning in the past,
taking on the meanness of the men who’ve left them,
inflicting these ghosts on someone new,
entwining them with the Vine.

I’m crumbling in the corner.
A last gasped cigarette
soaks up the bottleneck beer.
Do I really want to see?
Through this glass bottom lens there’s nothing between us.
Spilling over with burning boredom,
wishing I was someone, something, someplace else;
waiting for I don’t know what
to pluck me from the Vine.

After:

The men barricading the keep.
It’s true.
The happens ice at or just buried real in them,
inflicting new,
entwining boredom,
wishing what
to Vine.
bar
resemble the dogs they best what the kindness stolen well?
They all sup drowning on someone burning from the said behaviour’s drawn so sure that’s smiles
the question begs the past,
taking on men who’ve left I don’t know down the leash;
I’m not animals know faulty me:
was their the meanness of the these ghosts for pluck me here.
Meat raffle, strained ecstatic must from the Vine.

The women them with the corner.
A to lens there’s nothing between smoke, and export lager.
On shake them haunting the tables
swill Vine.

I’m crumbling in the glass bottom us.
Spilling over with pills they shuffle puzzled sense there in their drinks.
From last gasped cigarette
soaks I really want I was someone between melancholy and manic;
the be more
can’t hole-punched eyes and up the bottleneck beer.
Do see?
Through this something, someplace else;
waiting.

My four faves:        1)  I'm crumbling in the glass bottom (been there before)

                             2)  Puzzled sense there in their drinks (and there)

                             3)  I really want I was someone between melancholy and manic (and here)

                             4)  Strained ecstatic must from the Vine (perhaps a fine vintage?)