I entered the canteen
at mid morning break
at the cake packing factory
and bought a white coffee
from the vending machine
and sat down
and ate a cake
and read from a book
on Spinoza
the other guys ate
and read newspapers
showing page 3 girls
neatly unclad
I lit up my pipe
and grey smoke
rose in the air
what the ****
you smoking Benny?
a guy called Lewis said
it's sending me to sleep
it's tea
I said
tea? what the fecking
drug tea?
he said
no Brooke Bond tea
I can't afford
pipe tobacco today
what a stink
Egan said
like putting my head up
some whore's ***
there was laughter
I smiled
I wouldn't know
I said
I inhaled again
but I had to admit
it lacked a certain something
and put it out
and Pete gave me
a cigarette
and I returned to Spinoza
and God and the universe
and the room clearing
of tea smoke
and Egan told
some rude joke
about some dame he knew
turning the room
and air blue.
Jan 27, 2016
Jan 27, 2016 at 2:05 AM UTC
I entered the canteen
at mid morning break
at the cake packing factory
and bought a white coffee
from the vending machine
and sat down
and ate a cake
and read from a book
on Spinoza
the other guys ate
and read newspapers
showing page 3 girls
neatly unclad
I lit up my pipe
and grey smoke
rose in the air
what the ****
you smoking Benny?
a guy called Lewis said
it's sending me to sleep
it's tea
I said
tea? what the fecking
drug tea?
he said
no Brooke Bond tea
I can't afford
pipe tobacco today
what a stink
Egan said
like putting my head up
some whore's ***
there was laughter
I smiled
I wouldn't know
I said
I inhaled again
but I had to admit
it lacked a certain something
and put it out
and Pete gave me
a cigarette
and I returned to Spinoza
and God and the universe
and the room clearing
of tea smoke
and Egan told
some rude joke
about some dame he knew
turning the room
and air blue.
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