South Queens, 5am
I sat with Satan
as he stroked his beard
I was on a four-day binge
foamed at the mouth 
for any substance that I could snort
smoke 
inject 
terrified the sun would come up
before I had the chance to get more high
then I already was 
and ditch him 
Satan that is
like Satan couldn’t tell 
I was one cigarette short of cancer
and one bourbon shy of prostitution
 
Satan had a missing tooth
I stared right into that wormhole of reckless abandonment 
while he pulled the queen of spades
from his deck of cards  
and placed her on the nicked and shredded bar 
the queen
was withered and broken
with torn corners 
her spades faded to a gray blur

Satan had a long 
curled and yellowed pinky nail 
he dipped it into his pouch of yeyo 
I gasped like a child in Candyland 
as he scooped out a heap  
of the sparkly white powder 
which was right up my sleazy alley
 
Satan pulled another card 
the joker 
he laughed so guttural my glass shattered  
I searched his face for a sign 
that I was still up for grabs - still in the running
 
Before he skipped out on me 
Satan segued down the bar
pulling and handing cards left and right 
hungry for that diamond in a foul as fuck rough

I held on for dear life
as if I waited for my name to be called 
in some epic beauty pageant 
but Satan slithered away
and the sun oozed in 
as I crawled out and skulked 
back to my hovel