4 FINGERS NEAT by Zac Dunn | Art by Peter Glanting

4 Fingers Neat
By Zac Dunn
Art by Peter Glanting

Published Issue 104, August 2022

All the faces of the people glow

With youth and innocence 

The world hasn’t served up 

The bitter doses 

That dyes the eyes 

And candy coats expectations 

Leaving the unrelenting 

Alkaline flavor dissolving 

Slowly resonating pulses 

Or Morse code 

Indifferent to crawl 

Walk sing or brawl 

Canine consideration delegated 

Grains that burn a myriad 

Colors index 

As the pages turn …

I notice fewer faces 

The fiction grows less Obscure 

But the plot dips in and out of relevance 

Cold fingers touch warm flesh 

The cash is exchanged 

And she hands over another neat

I pretend to be excited 

It’s all very obtuse in its own manner 

God is dead 

God is an eight-sided dice 

Tossed upon purple felt 

We almost don’t lock eyes 

Then act much too shy to speak 

When we cross paths 

It’s all quite light and esoteric 

The puerile gaze impatient as the 

Punters line up thirsty 

At the well 

A random bird asks what 

ELITIST means … 

I expound some lightly 

Eloquent diatribe 

That leads her gaze to the other end 

Of the bar 

She finally notices me and smiles 

I order another Buffalo Trace neat 

and a Guinness

The keg is kicked so she pours 4 fingers 

After a bit she returns 

With the most sacred dark mistress 

I’m pleased

Few things spark joy as such 

Like a cast away 

as the disco bass 

Throbs like mares 

let loose in the heather 

Time passes and 

I stroke my beard 

Gazing palely at the glass void 

My eyes track with vicious 

Intent and persistence 

She looks so cool

Lips pursed and rehearsed 

Waiting for the 

Sliver slip

Zac Dunn is a psycho-social mechanic, father, musician and dreamer. Check out his music and follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

Peter Gustav Glanting is from San Francisco and is a graduate of the University of California, Davis. He’s  been a freelance copywriter / social media manager, but is also passionate about arts and crafts, having been exposed to them for prolonged periods. Check out his comics delicate adventures and Jerk Frenzy.

Check out Zac’s July Birdy piece, The Great Wheel and Peter’s custom artwork for Ellie Wants A Hug by Garrett GramHead to our Explore section to see even more of these talented creatives’ work.