Best Poems Written by Richard Myers

Left and Right

See those two loners standing at the end of the bar?
One with a scowl and a face full of scars?
And the other much like him with a build just as slight?
Not the one on the left but the one on the right.
He's the one to avoid when a room gets dark
If he had fins he'd swim like a shark
The other's no better with his wealth thru theft
Not the one on the right but the one on the left.
It was just last night.  No, the night before,
My bladder was full as I walked out the door.
I ducked into an alley in need of relief
My business was hurried, messy but brief.
Then I saw three men argue while one pulled a knife
I squatted low by a dumpster well out of sight
Not from the one on the left but the one on the right.
You know how you feel when you're told just relax?
We're here like your family, we've got your back.
They gave that impression, you know the type
They speak in the dark, avoiding the light.
I froze watching that knife move side to side
He worked it like magic his face full of pride 
He was obviously talented his moves quick and deft
Not the one on the right but the one on the left.
They went thru his pockets and there was no way to tell
If they found a small fortune or a waterless well.
But I'll tell you gents what bothered me most
Was the way they smiled when he gave up the ghost.
I won't be dropping a dime as they say on the shows
To live with daisies amidst the dirt where they grow
They won't bother to argue who'll snuff out my life
Neither the one on the left nor the one on the right.

Copyright © Richard Myers | Year Posted 2025