James Babbs- Three Poems

James Babbs is a writer, a dreamer, a three-time loser and an all-around nice guy who just wants to be left alone.  James is the author of Disturbing The Light(2013) & The Weight of Invisible Things(2013) and has hundreds of poems and a few short stories scattered all over the internet.

One Time

he said

remember that one time

when we got really drunk and

started walking around town

you know

back when we were in college

he started laughing

handing me another beer

from the cooler down by his feet

I twisted off the cap

tried shooting it

into the wastebasket

but watched it bounce off the edge

and land on the floor

he said

you kept screaming

at everyone you saw

until Jack and Gus tackled you

and told you to shut up

I nodded my head

and he laughed again

he drained the rest of his beer

before reaching for another one

he said

how about that one time

when you were wearing

Bob’s old army jacket

I said

yeah

why was I wearing his jacket

I don’t remember

he leaned back

gazing at a spot on the wall

he said

I don’t remember either

but you left the party

we were at and

when Gus and I came home

you were out in the hallway

slumped against the door

we thought you were some old bum

that had wandered in off the street

then we realized it was you

I nodded my head

yeah

then you guys grabbed me and

dragged me by my arms

and left me there on the floor

he said

that’s right

you stayed there the whole night

I laughed

I think I woke up

maybe one time

but I just rolled over

and went back to sleep

he said

yeah

you were still there in the morning

with Bob’s army jacket on

we both laughed

shaking our heads

before starting on another beer

Almost 5 O’clock

I thought I needed something

because

I just couldn’t get settled

so I opened the wine

and poured myself a glass

this same feeling all day

so I was glad to finally be home

I don’t know how long ago

I started drinking this stuff

I was never really much for wine

I’d always been a beer drinker

but I guess

somewhere along the way

I wanted something different

so I tried this cheap stuff

and thought it wasn’t too bad

not too bad at all

I took another drink

and looked through the window

it was almost five o’clock

out there the corn field

stood green and tall

like an advancing army

swaying beneath the sun

An April Weekend

it’s one of the most beautiful

days of the year so far and

I’m sitting in the shade

next to the garage

while up in the trees

the birds make lots of noise

yesterday

I got drunk again

after I finished mowing the yard

I took a shower and

put on my Batman t-shirt

then opened the first beer and

took a long slow drink

sun still bright

up there in the afternoon sky

but it was saturday and

I was feeling pretty good

had seven or eight more bottles

before deciding that was enough

now it’s sunday and

I’m still wearing the same shirt

not too long ago

before I came out here

I had a chicken sandwich

with pepper jack cheese and

I have to say

it tasted really good