He Was At The Betting Terminals

He Was A Small Older Man

A Tradesman Most Likely

Wearing Fluro Garb

Who Looked Well Beaten By

40 Years & A Million Kgs Of Bricks & Morter

The Gambling Machine Wouldn’t Work

So He Couldn’t Place The Bet

I Was Sitting At The Bar On A Water

Soaking It All In

He Took His Un-drank Bottle

Up To The Barmen To Complain

“The Bet Machine Don’t Work”

“Sorry It Will Be Fixed In An Hour”

“Not Good Enough – I’m Off To Alexandra Town “

& Someone Else Can Have The Untouched Beer”

He Slammed The Oversized Bottle Down.

He About Turned & Brusquely Left

The Old Fella Took It All Too Personally

There Was A Moments Awkward Silence

Then, Taking my Opportunity

I Said To The Barman,

While Pointing To the Vessel

“Can I Have That”

“Sure – Go Ahead”

I Thought About The Irony & Then Spoke

“Its Kinda Funny – He Was Gambling Man

& He Couldn’t Place A Bet,

So He Left In A Huff

Yet He Still Ended Up Losing His Beer To Me,

A Guy Who Wasn’t Gambling At All –

So HE Was Still Gambling – But He Just Didn’t Know It”

The Barman Laughed Heartily.

Despite The Night Being Overall Quite Dull

Because Of The Free Beer Incident

I Took the Night As A Win

And Yes – The Beer Tasted Better Than Usual

And I Wondered If The Same Thing Happened

In Alexandra Town Later That Same Night

But I Very Much Doubt

Another Secondary Poem Was Produced

By Some Other Parallel Poet Wonk Like Me

But I’d More Than Love It If It Did.