shebeen

image courtesy amitabh mitra

in the shebeen, yani

a tall, barrel-chested afrikaan

when asked about future

said 'we will go with the tide'

and with a flourish

ordered another round

his shebeen 

located off road

and adjacent to a local black's

his prices, amitabh whispered

are three times more

i heard the songs and laughter

from the other shebeen

here, the four of us

five, if you include the

not-so-busy bartender

tried to talk animatedly

*Shebeen (pronounced ‘sha bean’)