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CAPPER KAPLINSKI AT THE NORTH SIDE CUE CLUB, by             Poem Explanation     Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: What's it like? You take it from me
Last Line: We're playing or ain't we?
Subject(s): Billiards; Life; Sports


What's it like? You take it from me,
kid, the old dinger don't
raise up like he used to for a
squint at every nice growntup

piece moseying down the main,
not no more -- no, sir. But
it ain't so bad. Wasn't nothing
but a pain in your nut

anyways when he used to pop
up all the time with nowhere
to put him, nothing but grief,
the same old crazy goround,

don't think I don't remember.
By the Jesus, boy, it
ain't so bad at all without all
that, specially since a tit

still gives me a real good feeling,
but like it's mental, not
in the gut, you understand? So
I see some young broad trotting

along the asphalt hurrying
somewheres, her boobs jigging
a little under her sweater,
nice and not too big,

now ain't that a good sight to see?
No question. You bet your
ass. Why, it makes me feel warm like,
like sunshine all over

and me up setting on a bench
in Hillside Park just watching
the kids skim them saucers, or
the girls doing hopscotch,

or anything, it don't matter,
just so it's spring and a
sunny afternoon. What I mean
I can still glom onto

the things that make life worth living
and sex still has something
to do with it, and always will,
even if I ain't been

too sharp at explaining. Life's a
doozy, that's how I see
it. Well, this here's called nine-ball. Is
we playing or ain't we?


Used with the permission of Copper Canyon Press, P.O. Box 271, Port Townsend, WA
98368-0271, www.cc.press.org




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