Reflections in a College Bar (Poem)

Reflections in a College Bar

Amidst the chit chit, and the chatter,
The single cymbal, and the clatter,
We made the scene.

Amidst the lazy, stifling smoke,
And the hungry wants of life,
We saw the light:

We watched a bright-eyed co-ed
Hasten back from john to John.
Knowing she had guessed his calculated look.

We saw a bearded one playing pool.
Satisfied with little billiards
Never comprehending what lies,
Unracked beyond this green.

While in the back
Two huddle deep in talk
More ardent than any form of art.

They, too, don’t know, or care,
And that’s the pity.
This perfect time of life
Flies away always in the dark.

John Coyne (Ethiopia 1962-64)