artwork: ralph murre
gas
station attendant
by
Irene Koronas
“it
takes discipline,” he confesses
his
side stare
hesitant
to give too much information
about
ways to win at the horse track
handsome
movie
star handsome
he
pumps gas when not betting at the kentucky
or
whatever track remains open
horses
or dogs who run for sport
father
was more handsome than most men
mother
close to the ground, boxy skirts uniform her
every
weekend coins clicked on dining room table
charley
fiddled, freddie his brother sang
angie
worked in the shoe factory with mother
harry
policed our town
stuie
loved older women
joe
married my aunt when tony died
poker
players coin our days, the pot often won with 2 pairs
father
slapped cards hard, for him lose
always
came. he lost more than most men
week
days, father played cards in his cobbler shop
mother
works 8 to 5, factory noise punctures her ear drum
a
long corridor led to the toilet in the back of his shop
on
wednesday father went to wonder land horse track
I
sat across from a long mirror, watching myself grow
listening
to rhythm and blues on his radio
the
twang of desert boots, not tall enough for american boys
my
hand reaches quarters in cash register when left alone
the
handsome gas station attendant hands me my change
~
first published in Wilderness House
Literary Review
