by Duane Anderson

Warm Beer, Lousy Food


The windows at the bar
facing Locust Street stated
“Warm beer, lousy food.”
Being thirsty and hungry
for cold beer and good food,
I kept traveling,
taking them at their word.






Around the Corner


You do not know
where the street leads
until you have followed it
or heard from someone else
as to where it leads.

Turning left on tomorrow
and right on yesterday,
I make a U-turn
and follow today
to wherever it will take me,
hoping for the best.






Life For Sale

My life is up for sale for I feel
I am an eyesore on the world,
one that needs to go away.
How much will you give me for it?
Is it worth a dollar, a penny, a peanut?

Am I a bargain,
and you are ready to snap me up?
Yes, provide me with any offer,
nothing will be refused, one,
unable to say no at this point in my life.






Post-Christmas Blues


My wife is in a hurry to get home.
She does not want
to stop at the Wendy’s restaurant.
Instead, she pulls through the drive-thru.
She doesn’t want anything to eat,
yet after we order our food,
she snacks on a candy bar and a pop.

Our daughter complains because
she has no ketchup for her chicken nuggets
and French fries.
My wife reminds her that she
asked her to check her sack
to ensure everything was there.
Our daughter grumbles again
saying she doesn’t like her fries and nuggets
without ketchup,
but she eats them anyway.

I sit in the back seat eating
my chicken sandwich,
saying nothing as
we continue our trip back to Omaha.
I know now that the spirit of Christmas
has disappeared for another year.

Duane Anderson currently lives in La Vista, NE.  He has had poems published in Fine Lines, Cholla Needles, Tipton Poetry Journal, and several other publications. He is the author of  ‘On the Corner of Walk and Don’t Walk,’  ‘The Blood Drives: One Pint Down,’ and ‘Conquer the Mountains.’