Hightower's Last Meal

four fried pork chops
collard greens with boiled okra
fried corn
fried fatback
fried green tomatoes
cornbread
lemonade
one pint of strawberry ice cream
three glazed donuts

it starts with snorted coke which gives me the edge
the snub nose i already loaded and slipped in our bed
then two whiskeys, the cheapest i could get,
four beers, a wine, and a tequila chaser
my guilt is already drunk when i leave the bar

the bitch and her little bitches exchange looks
but keep quiet like they do after dinner
Sandy watches Cosby and Eve has her Harelquin
i hold the paper up and reread the comics
while Dot washes dishes and then puts the squeaker to bed

i'm gonna end it for them
it'll be tonight, the bitching will be done.
then i'll drive east through Augusta
and maybe see the coast
maybe put my feet in the sea at Kiwah Island

i'm gonna end it tonight
their lights are going out
and i'll spend summer evenings
swimming like i did when i was 12
diving into the arms of dark ocean waves
until the last of the sunlight dies.