Three in the morning
and the bar is closing.
The room has been empty
most of the night, save
two young men
sitting with two glasses
stacked with ice, the amber
of whiskey frosted at the bottom.
The bartender clears her throat
to reiterate.
The two young men, barely so,
hold each other’s hands behind
a napkin dispenser. Boots shuffle
quietly under their table.
It is three AM and this is the only time
in a five stoplight town
where they can be alone in public
and be safe.
Samuel J. Fox is a current English graduate student at Western Carolina University. He has been published in numerous journals and is forthcoming in Luna Luna Magazine and Polychrome Ink Literary Journal. He writes lyric essays and performs spoken word around his home state of North Carolina. You can also visit him on Facebook or at his website (samueljfox.com).
A Quiet Courage 