A quarter of six, weather dimming
into lightning stroke, cloud-cracked moon
take a Sam Adams from the sixpack
a shot of Johnny Walker Red
take a twenty from the wallet
Lies happen here
Payoffs counted and tagged
envelopes addressed
Sister pays her debts to Montreal
running cards and dominoes
in a package store backroom
Lies happen here
Cocktail kiss, lunchtime fuck
trading indulgence for misfortune
a wife packs a separation suitcase
still hungry for a first happy marriage
she calls her special friend
Lies happen here
A Pushcart Prize nominee, R.T. Castleberry is an internationally published poet and critic. He was a co-founder of the Flying Dutchman Writers Troupe, co-editor/publisher of the poetry magazine Curbside Review, an assistant editor for Lily Poetry Review and Ardent. His work has appeared in The Alembic, Blue Collar Review, Misfit, Roanoke Review, Pacific Review, White Wall Review, Silk Road and Trajectory. His chapbook, Arriving At The Riverside, was published by Finishing Line Press in January, 2010. An e-book, Dialogue and Appetite, was published by Right Hand Pointing in May, 2011.