In the bars
I sit down
and I wait to be asked
what I want.
If no one asks me
what I want
I will contentedly sit
in the bar, the pub,
the saloon or tavern
and soak in the ambiance
for free
for as long as I may wish.
I will never ask for service.

If the staff
bartender, waitress,
bar back or lickspittle
cannot be bothered to request
how to take my money,
I will not help them in that pursuit.
I can wait them out.
I don’t need the drink that badly.

It may be
that I prefer the atmosphere
by far
to the alcohol
in these establishments.
It may be
that I am too cheap
to be believed.
It may be
I am even more anal
than that.
It may be all of the above.

Any way you slice it
I spend much more time in bars
than I ever do money.

Some staff never serves me.