The Bartender - On Ptsd Victims - Both Audio and Text

Inspired by grim reality - He seemed a little out of place when he walked in that night. The bar was pretty crowded…it was nearly 10 p.m. He tossed a couple dollars on the bar and grabbed a beer, then found his way to where the smoke was thick and light was dim. I’d never seen the guy before. He looked a little awkward. He nursed the beer at first, but then he took a hefty drink. I watched him rather closely, as he sat there, all alone. He rarely even moved, and I will tell you what I think. I think the guy was feelin’ kind-a low. He looked uneasy. It wasn’t long before he flagged the barmaid for a hit. And for about an hour more he kept ‘em right on comin,’ but still somehow, the way he poured ‘em down just didn’t fit. And…like I said…he looked a little awkward sittin’ there. He’d sit and stare, then briefly swing his head from side to side. Then, softly lit by neon lights, through wafting clouds of smoke, I watched the poor young fella as he broke right down an’ cried. This was not the first time that I’d seen a man in tears, but as he sat there, all alone, it almost broke my heart. I’ve seen this kind of thing before, but never quite like this, and I could only wonder what it was that made him start. Maybe someone close to him had died, or fallen ill. Maybe he’d been cheating, and his wife had found him out. Maybe he’d discovered that his wife had been unfaithful. But as I sat there wonderin’ what the tears were all about, I turned and asked a local patron - one I thought might know - “Ever seen that youngster, gettin' drunk there, in the back?” “Yes, I have,” the old guy answered…“that’s the boy from Wilton. He’s the one that just returned from serving in Iraq! PS: I've now got 4 new Audio-CDs - @ 4 1/2 hours each = (62 diversely varied pieces). They’re listed on EBAY - under - “Mark Stellinga Poetry” - or available by simply contacting me at -- mark@writerofbooks.com -- should those of you who enjoy listening to poems as well as reading them - and particularly those of you that travel - care to be so entertained. (We use safe and simple - PayPal) Cheers, Mark