the poetry reading at gallery x

at the poetry reading at gallery x
in downtown new bedford
to hear neeli cherkovski talk
about his friend, charles bukowski,
i stared at jose's hair the whole time

i didn't know his name was jose
until john landry asked him to get up and read
and he read a poem from temper
with a thick accent, in a white t-shirt
that read P.E.Z. on the front

his hair looks best from the back
but it didn't look that bad from the front either
black, straight locks the flaired out
at the ends between deltoids
or whatever you call the muscles that rest on shoulder blades