POETRY,

she said,
is your strong suit;
you should stick with it,
play it; it's what you do
best.
You think?
I replied, fishing
for compliments.
I do,
she said,
comfortable
in her judgement.
I should know,
she continued,
being a gambler
myself, I know
suits...of all kinds, but
I also know
that you think
because it's you
who does it well,
anyone
can do
it.

I had to go,
I said, eager
to get off
the phone-
she was getting
too close
to the
bone.

Norman Savage
Greenwich Village, 2015